tolerant of anyone who was not Catholic, and from this intolerance the doctrine of
limpieza de sangre(purity of blood) was born. In Spain, anyone who could not demon-
strate that he or she was descended from pure Christian stock, untainted by Jewish
or Moorish blood, was unable to hold noble status and was prohibited from taking
part in many other activities.
In the New World this intolerance translated into legal discrimination against
people of mixed ethnic ancestry, and a complex nomenclature was developed to
deal with the wide array of possible backgrounds that any individual might have.
During the course of the Colonial period the number of categories soared, perhaps
numbering in the hundreds. These different categories were called castas,or castes
(Figure 5.7). Skin color was of prime importance in the ultimate determination of
one’s status, and the possibilities for upward mobility were certainly higher for indi-
viduals with lighter skin.
We should point out, though, that these discriminations were based not on a bi-
ologically or genetically based concept of “race” but on legalistic categories. As the
colonial overlords of the land, Spaniards enjoyed the highest level of legal privilege.
Indians, as the original inhabitants of the land, had claim to legal rights, including
some special privileges. African slaves had no recognized legal rights, but free per-
sons of African or partially African descent were citizens of the colony with some
legal status. Determining the status of persons of mixed ancestry was a thorny legal
problem. Since the darkness or lightness of a person’s skin happened to correspond,
to some extent, to these status levels, it became a convenient index to a person’s
place in the social and legal hierarchy.
Historian Magnus Morner has reduced the number of castasto six broad cate-
gories: Peninsular Spaniards, Creoles, Mestizos, Mulattoes–Zambos–Free Blacks, Slaves,
and Indians. At the top of the castahierarchy were pure-blooded Spaniards who had
been born in Spain. Referred to as “peninsulars,” because they had been born on the
Iberian Peninsula, members of this group almost always held the best positions, in
both civil and religious life, and they were the most prestigious members of the com-
munity.
Creoles had the same ancestry as the peninsular Spaniards, but because they
were born in the New World, they were relegated to a lower status than were penin-
sulars. This secondary status reflected the belief among Europeans that the Ameri-
can climate and general environment was detrimental, rendering anyone born there
inherently inferior, even if one’s parents were from Europe. This belief functioned,
we may note, to help maintain the Spanish king’s power, since he could continue to
appoint administrators whom he personally knew and trusted. As a result, few creoles
ever attained the highest church and government positions. Despite this secondary
status, they enjoyed a privileged position in colonial society and belonged to the
ranks of the colonial aristocracy, particularly in the more provincial areas.
Ranking well below the creoles in social status were the mestizos, the offspring
of Spanish and Indian parents. In most cases, mestizos had a Spanish father and an
Indian mother. During the years of Spanish exploration and invasion, it was quite
common for Spanish men to take Indian women as lovers and occasionally as wives
CHAPTER 5 THE COLONIAL PERIOD IN MESOAMERICA 199