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What was the order of society in New Spain?

What was the order of society in New Spain?

The correct order of the social classes in Spanish colonial society would be “D) Peninsulares, Creoles, mestizos, Native Americans,” with Peninsulares being at the “top”.

How did the Spaniards established the social stratification?

An elaborate system of social stratification based on skin-color and phenotypical characteristics reinforced the political, economic and social power structure that kept the Spaniards at the top even as the indigenous and African groups were exploited.

What was the purpose of New Spain settlement?

demanding obedience, labor, and conversion to Christianity of the survivors. The Spanish sought wealth in the New World. They had found supplies of gold and silver but needed miners to extract the precious metals. They also established plantations, growing sugar and other crops, and needed farm workers.

Why did the Spanish make social classes in the new world?

Spanish conquerors used their large plantations to force labor among African and Indian slaves. Somewhere along the line, the Spanish began to intermarry and discriminated against these laborers, which in turn created a new class system, and destroyed native cultures.

Why were Spanish missions established during the period of colonization of the Americas?

Throughout the colonial period, the missions Spain established would serve several objectives. The first would be to convert natives to Christianity. The second would be to pacify the areas for colonial purposes.

What were the social classes in Spanish colonies?

The social class system of Latin America goes as follows from the most power and fewest people, to those with the least amount of power and the most people: Peninsulares, Creoles, Mestizos, Mulattoes, Native Americans and Africans.

Why were the Spanish able to conquer and colonize the Americas?

Spanish conquistadors, who were primarily poor nobles from the impoverished west and south of Spain, were able to conquer the huge empires of the New World with the help of superior military technology, disease (which weakened indigenous resistance), and military tactics including surprise attacks and powerful …

What was the social system of the New Spain?

Over time, members of New Spanish society formed new ethnic identities as Spaniards intermarried with Native Americans and Africans. A subtle castelike system developed, with peninsulares (natives of Spain) at the top of the social hierarchy.

What was the Viceroyalty of New Spain in Spanish?

The Viceroyalty of New Spain (Spanish: Virreinato de Nueva España Spanish pronunciation: [βirejˈnato ðe ˈnweβa esˈpaɲa] (listen)) was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Americas.

What was the Spanish possessions in the New World?

NEW SPAIN, VICEROYALTY OF. New Spain refers to Spanish possessions in the New World during the colonial period. At its height New Spain included what are today the southwestern United States, all of Mexico, Central America to the Isthmus of Panama, Florida, much of the West Indies (islands in the Caribbean),…

What was the society like in the Spanish colonies?

Patriarchy (the rule of men over family, society, and government) shaped the Spanish colonial world. Women occupied a lower status. In all matters, the Spanish held themselves to be atop the social pyramid, with native peoples and Africans beneath them. Both Africans and native peoples, however, contested Spanish claims to dominance.