Colonial Latin American Calidades and Raza

Spanish America and Indigenous Background

• In Spanish America, the word "indio" has a pejorative connotation and is sometimes used to insult someone or imply they are backward or wild.
• Using the term "indio" to refer to someone of indigenous background is considered offensive.

Sumptuary Laws

• Sumptuary laws were state-sponsored restrictions on expense and ostentation in dress, meant to regulate castas and slaves.
• These laws prohibited certain groups from wearing specific garments, such as silk, pearls, or objects made of gold.
• Slaves were expected to go barefoot, and non-elites were prohibited from carrying swords, riding horseback, or wearing certain clothing.

Titles of Respect

• Elite individuals used titles such as "Don" and "Doña" to distinguish themselves from others.
• These titles were initially exclusive to members of the aristocracy, nobility, and landed gentry.
• Only rarely were these titles conferred upon distinguished members of the castas.

Post-Colonial Immigration

• Post-colonial immigration to Latin America included Italians, Germans, French, Russians, Filipinos, Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, and Afro-Caribbean immigrants.
• This immigration led to significant changes in demographics, particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Concepts of Race and Class

• In colonial Latin America, people perceived themselves and others as belonging to distinct "calidades" or qualities.
• The term "raza" (for race) associated with skin color did not become prevalent until the 1800s.

Social Structure

• The White Ruling Class in colonial Spanish America consisted of Spaniards and Creoles.
• Spaniards referred to colonists born in Spain, while Creoles referred to the children of Spaniards born in colonial Spanish America.

Art and Architecture

• Indigenous, mestizo, and African-descended peoples produced beautiful artwork in Spanish and Portuguese America.
• They also provided the labor required for building churches, government offices, and private residences of the wealthy.
• The great artist Antonio Francisco Lisboa (known as "Aleijadinho") of colonial Brazil stands out.

Immigration to Latin America

• State-sponsored immigration to Latin America, especially in the Southern Cone (1880-1920), led to significant demographic changes.
• Immigrants came from countries such as Italy, Germany, France, Russia, Philippines, China, Japan, and Korea.

Asians in Latin America

• Tens of thousands of Filipinos landed in Mexico, mostly as soldiers, sailors, prisoners, or slaves.
• Large numbers of Chinese went to Cuba and Peru from 1880-1920, and throughout Latin America, often as indentured servants.
• Many Asian immigrants settled in major Latin American metropolitan areas.