In colonial Latin America, society was stratified by race and ethnicity, with distinct roles for each group. Peninsulares, who were Spanish-born, held the highest positions in government and the church. Creoles, of Spanish descent but born in the Americas, often managed plantations and businesses but were excluded from top political roles. Mestizos (mixed European and Indigenous ancestry) and mulattoes (mixed European and African ancestry) typically occupied lower administrative roles or worked in trades, while Indigenous peoples and enslaved Africans were primarily laborers, working in agriculture, mining, and domestic service.
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