What kinds of settlements did the Spanish set up in the Americas and the social classes that developed there?

The Spanish established various settlements in the Americas, including large colonial cities, missions, and encomiendas. These settlements were characterized by a hierarchical social structure, with Spanish settlers and conquistadors at the top, followed by mestizos (people of mixed European and Indigenous descent), Indigenous peoples, and enslaved Africans at the bottom. The social classes were influenced by race and ethnicity, leading to a complex Caste System that defined social and economic opportunities within colonial society. This structure facilitated the exploitation of Indigenous populations and the establishment of a colonial economy based on agriculture and resource extraction.