Social Structure
A social class of colonists born in Spain or Portugal. They held the highest positions in the government, church, and military.
Who were the peninsulares?
Catholicism.
What was the primary religion imposed by Spanish colonizers?
Sugarcane, tobacco, and cacao crop.
What were the main crops that drove the colonial economies?
Wheat, grapes, and fruits like oranges and bananas. As well as livestock such as cattle, pigs, and chickens.
What foods introduced by Europeans became common in Latin American colonies?
A social class of people who were born in the Latin American colonies but have entirely European heritage. They had power and privilege's related to land ownership, commerce, and local administration, but they were excluded from the highest positions in the government, military, and church. They were still seen as "less-than" the peninsulares.
Who were the criollos?
Missionaries actively sought to eradicate indigenous religious beliefs, social structures, and cultural practices. They banned traditional ceremonies, altered gender roles, and discouraged the use of native languages in favor of European ones.
How did missionaries affect indigenous populations in Latin America?
Granted Spanish colonists the right to demand tribute (taxes) and forced labor from indigenous groups in particular areas in exchange for military protection and instruction in Christianity.
What was the encomienda system?
Colonizers brought styles architectural styles popular in Europe, including Baroque and Neoclassical. Governmental buildings, churches, and palaces for high-ranking officials specifically were created to resemble European styles. The fusion of European and local traditions also in unique styles like Mestizo Baroque.
What were the main influences on colonial architecture in Latin America?
People of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry. They occupied the middle of the social hierarchy, positioned above Indigenous or enslaved people but below peninsulares or criollos. They could not have many powerful jobs within colonial society but unlike Indigenous or enslaved people, they could be ordained as priests, receive an education, and inherit land. They also did not have to pay the "tributes" or taxes to the Spanish crown that indigenous groups had to.
Who were the mestizos?
Religious groups were responsible for creating many schools, colleges, and universities throughout Latin America. These institutions were central to the development of colonial society and the assimilation efforts of Spanish missionaries.
What impact did religious groups have on education in the colonies?
Silver was a significant source of revenue for the Spanish crown, a tool for financing military expansion and civil administration, and a foundation for global trade networks.
What role did silver play in the colonial economy?
Missionaries used Spanish music and dance, like church theatre and devotional songs, as a way to convert indigenous populations to Christianity. The ability to perform music or engage in certain dances was also a marker of education, class, and religion, distinguishing different groups within the rigid colonial social hierarchy. For indigenous peoples, music and dance were ways to preserve their own cultural traditions and resist colonization.
What was the significance of music and dance in colonial society?
The highest governmental office in the colonies. They governed their territory as the Spanish monarchy's direct representatives.
Who were the viceroys?
The Catholic church provided a justification for the conquest of new lands and the destruction of indigenous ways of life. It also owned much land within the colonies and had strict rules about which social classes of people could hold positions of power within it.
What role did religion play in maintaining colonial power?
This policy led to the exploitation of colonial resources and labor to benefit the Spanish crown. Main consequences were the growth of the slave trade, the stunting of colonial economies, and the creation of a monopolistic trade system controlled by the Spanish government/monarchy.
What was the economic impact of mercantilism in the colonies?
How did the blending of cultures manifest in colonial art?
Peninsulares, creoles, and in some cases mestizos could attend formal schooling and universities. Indigenous people and people of African descent were largely excluded from educational institutions.
How did your social class affect your access to education in colonial Latin America?
This religious figure was depicted as an indigenous woman, which make Catholicism seem more accessible and appealing to indigenous populations. She is also a symbol that helped to create a sense of a distinctly Mexican Catholic identity.
What was the significance of the Virgin of Guadalupe in colonial society?
The Atlantic slave trade provided a large, forced labor source for harvesting commodities like sugar, silver, and tobacco. This resulted in immense wealth for colonial plantation owners but created the foundations for enduring economic and social disparities in Latin America.
What were the effects of the Atlantic slave trade on Latin American economies?
Colonial governments banned indigenous languages and forced the adoption of Spanish or Portuguese. The Catholic Church suppressed indigenous religions, destroyed sacred texts, and forced conversion, often using force or the threat of punishment. Indigenous peoples were forced to adopt European dress, customs, and social norms. Indigenous ways of learning and knowledge were disregarded in favor or European education models.
In what ways were the cultures of indigenous groups suppressed in Latin American colonies?