Knowledge Connections

Definition

Picture

TermVocabulary Peninsulares Creoles

Essential Question

How was society organized in Latin America?

Who had power in Latin America?For nearly 300 years, Spain and Portugal held control over many colonies in the Latin America

In the 1800s, that would begin to change as Latin Americans became inspired by the American and

French Revolutions…

What was society like in here?Spain and Portugal had forced a very strict

social order on their Latin American colonies

There were four distinct social classes in Latin American society:

→ PENINSULARES

→ CREOLES

→ MESTIZOS

→ MULATTOS

Who was at the top of society?

PENINSULARES

Colonial leaders

Born in Spain or Portugal (the Iberian Peninsula)

These people were at the top of government and society in Latin America

Who was next in social order?

CREOLES

Descendents of Portuguese or Spanish settlers born in

the colonies

The peninsulares looked down on the creoles, and the creoles resented it

Where did most people fall in class?

MESTIZOS

Largest group of people in most colonies

People of mixed Spanish and Latin American ancestry

These people tended to:

Work as servants and Laborers

Have very few rights and freedoms

Who was at the bottom of society?

MULATTOS

Lowest social class – along with Native Americans and enslaved Africans

People of mixed African and European descent

Number of mulattos varied from colony to colony

Were people okay with this?

All lower classes disliked being ruled by the Peninsulares…

But they had little power to challenge their rulers

How did change come?

However, as Napoleon fought his wars to create a French Empire…

Spain and Portugal were left weakened…

Latin Americans saw their chance to win their independence!

Essential Question

How was society organized in Latin America?

LATIN AMERICAN SOCIETY

_______________________ - born in ________________

_________________ - born in _____________

__________ - mixed _________

________________ - mixed _________