Scribd
Upload
85 views3 pages

Running Head: SOCIAL STRUCTURES 1

Social structures in Latin America can be traced back to colonial times under Spanish rule, where a person's social class depended on their race and place of birth. The highest social classes were Peninsulares from Spain and Creoles born in the Americas, while those with mixed ancestry like Mestizos, Mullatoes, and Amerindians had lower social standing. Between 1850-1930, large landowners focused on exporting crops which increased their political power, leaving the middle class weak. As a result, present social classes in Latin America are still derived from the unequal colonial relations between white masters and colored natives and immigrants, with whites more likely to own property and have greater education.

Uploaded by

Roman -
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
85 views3 pages

Running Head: SOCIAL STRUCTURES 1

Social structures in Latin America can be traced back to colonial times under Spanish rule, where a person's social class depended on their race and place of birth. The highest social classes were Peninsulares from Spain and Creoles born in the Americas, while those with mixed ancestry like Mestizos, Mullatoes, and Amerindians had lower social standing. Between 1850-1930, large landowners focused on exporting crops which increased their political power, leaving the middle class weak. As a result, present social classes in Latin America are still derived from the unequal colonial relations between white masters and colored natives and immigrants, with whites more likely to own property and have greater education.

Uploaded by

Roman -
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Running head: SOCIAL STRUCTURES 1

Latin America Society

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation
2

Derived from the colonial social structures, modern class structures in Latin America are

based on social relationships of basic economic activities such as property ownership, forms and

sources of income, patterns of subordination, and labor arrangements. Additionally, some groups

are confined to specific occupations or face systemic discrimination based on race, gender,

ethnicity, among others.

Social structures in Latin America can be traced back to colonial times under Spanish

rule. Under colonial rule, a person's social class depended on their race and place of birth

(Veltmeyer & Petras, 2018). The kings hoped to maintain loyal people in crucial positions, which

was usually done by familial relations. Social classes were ranked from Peninsulares, Creoles,

Mestizos, Mullatoes, Amerindians, Zambos, and Africans, with the power and property rights

decreasing across the spectrum. Originating from the Iberian Peninsula, Peninsulares held the

highest offices. Born in the Americas, Creoles could own land but not hold high office

(Solimano, 2016). All the other classe had mixed ancestry which gave them a lower social class.

Between 1850 and 1930, national governments in the region pursued an export-oriented

development model based on agricultural and mineral commodities. Large landowners devoted

their properties to exporting crops like Coffee, wheat, and sugar, which increased their political

and economic power (Jelin et al., 2017). However, the middle classes remained weak due to a

small manufacturing sector, and most of the international trade proceeds going to the elites.

Consequently, the present social structures are derived from the unequal colonial relations

between the white masters and the colored Natives and immigrants (Benza, & Kessler, 2020).

Whites are more likely to own property, engage in white collar jobs, and have greater educational

accomplishments than their black, Indian, and Asian counterparts.


3

References

Benza, G., & Kessler, G. (2020). Uneven Trajectories: Latin American Societies in the Twenty-

First Century. Cambridge University Press.

Jelin, E., Motta, R., & Costa, S. (Eds.). (2017). Global Entangled Inequalities: Conceptual

Debates and Evidence from Latin America. Routledge.

Solimano, A. (2016). is inequAlity Really Declining in Latin America? eviDence on income,

weAlth And the social structure. Revista de Economía Mundial, (43), 69-91.

Veltmeyer, H., & Petras, J. (2018). Social Structure and Change in Latin America. In Latin

America (pp. 117-137). Routledge.

You might also like