Answer to Question #167101 in History for Randi

Question

Why was casta developed in new Spain during the sixteenth century

Answer 1

Why was casta developed in new Spain during the sixteenth century?

In 1570, amount of households in New Spain was only 25000 (Martinez, 2010). It was outnumbered by the many native people. To preserve their wealth, privileges, and power, the Spaniards established a caste system with Spaniards at the top of the structure. Other groups were ranked lower based on their percentage of Spanish blood. Casta was meant to determine access to certain rights in New Spain.

 

References

Martínez, M. E. (2010). Social Order in the Spanish New World. When Worlds Collide: The Untold Story of the Americas After Columbus.http://inside.sfuhs.org/dept/history/Mexicoreader/Chapter3/Social%20Order%20in%20the%20Spanish%20New%20World.pdf