1. Legacies of Colonialism What were the legacies of colonialism in Latin America? Spanish and Portuguese historians: Colonial implantation of the Christian faith. Latin American historians : Colonial (religious) institutions were unjust, backward, and fanatical. Multiethnic population all over the region. African slaves belonging to the Spanish and Portuguese. Indigenous Americans. Mixed race: mestizos (‘mixed,’ referring to mixed European and indigenous heritage). pardos (‘brown,’ equivalent of mulato).

2. Wealth and Influence of Catholic Institutions Can be explained by… -Virtual omnipresense of the Catholic Church in colonial Latin America during this time.. -Close alliance between Church and State. Historians look at the Church as a social institution. Catholic church acted as a conglomerate of institutions. Nuns, monks, and friars ran hospitals, schools, orphanages, and slave plantations. Ex. Cuzco. -Nuns of Cuzco would loan out money with ‘interest’ and used real estate as collateral. -They would confiscate lands and eventually became rich off this.

3. Racial Heritage of Colonialism Race mixing came to characterize the region. In heavily populated and advanced culture areas of Mexico and Central Andes, Spaniards recognized Amerindians culture status as comparable to their own. Multiple reasons for intermarriage between different ethnic backgrounds. -Amerindian women’s children might not be considered Indian, would then not be qualified for labor drafts, Indian tribute, nor many other prohibitions imposed by the European masters. -Negroes recognized that children by Amerindian women were born free. A few decades was needed to ‘ruin’ the widely accepted method of judging race by phenotype. People of race found themselves being part of upper class of society.

4. Becoming “Legally White” in Colonial Venezuela Following the decision to allow people of Spanish and African ancestry to become “legally white,” the City Council of Caracas created a report aimed at the King of Spain. -identify problems with decision -pardos will acquire too much influence and power. -Pardos, mulattoes, and zambos are dishonored by illegitimacy. -”moral issues” -whites will face contempt, their ancestors conquered and settled this province and paid for it with their lives. -loyal subject who have preserved with their loyalty to Spain will be forgotten forever. -mulattoes will wrongfully enjoy the benefits of society without contributing anything to its revenues and finances, in spite of the fact that they are twice as numerous.

5. *remedy -People of mixed decent should be forced to abandon their life in the cities and be put to work in the land. To curb their arrogance. This petition represents the customary social oppression of the mixed people. Whites born into the upper status were appalled with the King’s decision to undermine their birthright, so much so that they wrote this polemical report.

6. Bishop Reports on Social Conditions in Colonial Mexico Bishop Manuel Abad y Queipo -Spaniards form one-tenth of the total wealth, possessing almost all the property and wealth in the entire Kingdom. -There are no gradations between classes. They are either rich or poor, noble or infamous. -The classes (not including high class) have no property, no honor, no covet to attack, but they are still regarded to follow the laws for which they only serve to escape punishment.

7. Bishop’s Reports con’t… To fix these socially structured problems Bishop labels five tasks. 1.Abolition of the tribute paid by Indians. 2.Abolition of legal discrimination against castas. 3.Free distribution of all vacant public laws to Indians and Castas. 4.Free division of Indian community land between the Indians. 5.A uncultivated land given to a village for their grounds. 6.Free permission for all Spanish classes, castas, and Indians from other villages to reside in Indian villages and to construct houses, and buildings, paying a ground rent. 7.Descent salary for all district judges, excluding municipal judges.