The lowest of the four social classes in New Spain was the indigenous population.
Further information is provided below
The indigenous population was indeed the lowest of the four social classes in New Spain. According to the social hierarchy created by the Spanish crown, the peninsulares (Spaniards born in Spain) occupied the highest rank, followed by the criollos (Spaniards born in the New World), then the mestizos (people of mixed Spanish and indigenous ancestry), and lastly the indigenous population.
The indigenous people were discriminated against and exploited by the other classes. They were heavily taxed and forced to work in mines and plantations without proper wages or working conditions. Moreover, their culture and traditions were suppressed, and their religion was replaced by Christianity.
As noted by Bartolomé de Las Casas, a Spanish priest who advocated for the rights of the indigenous people, “all the acts of oppression and cruelty carried out on them by the Spaniards have been unjust and tyrannical.” Las Casas was among the few who spoke out against the mistreatment of the indigenous population.
Here are some interesting facts about the indigenous people in New Spain:
-
At the time of the arrival of the Spanish colonizers, the indigenous population of Mexico was estimated to be around 25 million.
-
The Aztecs, one of the most powerful indigenous groups in the region, had a complex system of government and society.
-
The Maya civilization, which had been in decline before the arrival of the Spanish, had advanced knowledge in mathematics, astronomy, and architecture.
-
Many indigenous languages are still spoken in Mexico, despite efforts to suppress them during colonial times.
Here’s a table summarizing the social hierarchy in New Spain:
| Rank | Class |
|---|---|
| 1 | Peninsulares |
| 2 | Criollos |
| 3 | Mestizos |
| 4 | Indigenous population |
Response via video
In this video, Mr. Martin and Mr. Walter discuss the social structure of Spanish colonies in the New World, where the peninsulares were at the top of the pyramid followed by the Creoles, mestizos, mulatos, and Native Americans at the bottom. The peninsulares held power in politics and social life while other groups were denied wealth and high social status.
There are other points of view available on the Internet
Peninsulares was the highest class, made of people born in Spain. Criollos were people born in New Spain, but originating in Spain. Mestizos were mixed group of people. The number of Indians was the lowest, as their social status and rights.
Indios
Indios were the lowest of the four social classes in New Spain.
Indios were the lowest of the four social classes in New Spain.
Indios (or Native Americans in some countries colonized by the Spanish) were the lowest of the four classes in New Spain. They were usually treated as the slaves to the upperclassmen of the New Spanish society. The other classes were the Peninsulares (wealthy and influential people in the society), Creoles (wealthy and educated people), and the Mestizos (has mixed race, usually of Spanish and Native American blood).
Furthermore, people are interested
One may also ask, What are the 4 social classes of New Spain?
As an answer to this: New Spain first class is called Peninsulares, second is Creoles, Mestizos is the third and last on the list is the Indians.
Additionally, On what were social classes in New Spain based? 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.
Furthermore, What were the social classes in Spain in the 1500s?
The answer is: Social hierarchy of Golden Age Spain (15th -17th centuries): At the top was the nobility, followed by the rest of the Spanish populations with the poor and homeless at the bottom. The minorities: Jews, Arabs and gitanos (gypsies), were often regarded with mistrust and discriminated against.
Considering this, What were the social classes in Spain?
Those who ruled rural Spain were uppermost in a society of classes in which the most important people were the nobility and the clergy, who owned the best lands and in total were the owners of more than the half of the cultivated land. Under them, there were the peasants, artisans and the bourgeois.
Similar
Also, Which was the lowest social class in New Spain? Response will be: Which was the lowest of the four social classes in new spain? Indios (or Native Americans in some countries colonized by the Spanish) were the lowest of the four classes in New Spain. They were usually treated as the slaves to the upperclassmen of the New Spanish society.
What was the social hierarchy in New Spain?
The answer is: New Spain Social Hierarchy. 1 Peninsulars. The Peninsulars possessed the highest rank in the social order of hierarchy in New Spain. They were the most affluent in the society and 2 Criollos. 3 Insulars. 4 Mestizos. 5 Indios. What was the class system in New Spain?
Also, What were the social classes in the Spanish colonial South?
The answer is: Spanish colonial society was divided into a caste system. Peninsulares were the wealthy, elite and regarded themselves higher than everyone else because they were born in Spain. Creoles were the middle class, and were often born in Latin America. What were the five social classes in the Colonial South from highest to lowest?
In respect to this, Who were the upperclassmen of the new Spanish society?
Response to this: They were usually treated as the slaves to the upperclassmen of the New Spanish society. The other classes were the Peninsulares (wealthy and influential people in the society), Creoles (wealthy and educated people), and the Mestizos (has mixed race, usually of Spanish and Native American blood).
Hereof, Which was the lowest social class in New Spain?
Which was the lowest of the four social classes in new spain? Indios (or Native Americans in some countries colonized by the Spanish) were the lowest of the four classes in New Spain. They were usually treated as the slaves to the upperclassmen of the New Spanish society.
Beside this, Who were the upperclassmen of the new Spanish society? Response will be: They were usually treated as the slaves to the upperclassmen of the New Spanish society. The other classes were the Peninsulares (wealthy and influential people in the society), Creoles (wealthy and educated people), and the Mestizos (has mixed race, usually of Spanish and Native American blood).
Beside this, What were the four levels of Spanish colonial society?
The Spanish colonies consisted of a caste system of peninsulares, Creoles, mestizos and mulattoes, and Native Americans and Africans. What were the classes of Spanish colonial society?
Correspondingly, What was the social class of the Iberian people?
Response: 1. They were at the top of the social class. They were born in Spain, on the Iberian Peninsula. They filled the highest position in government and the Catholic church. They were the upper class. 1. They were at the top of the social class. They were born in Spain, on the Iberian Peninsula.