In colonial Latin America, the social structure mirrored that of Europe, with a distinct hierarchy. At the top were the peninsulares, Spanish-born individuals who held the highest positions of power and privilege. Below them were the criollos, descendants of Europeans born in the Americas, who often resented their exclusion from top roles. The lower classes included mestizos (mixed European and Indigenous ancestry), Indigenous peoples, and enslaved Africans, who faced significant social and economic disadvantages.
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