Where Was the Casta System?

Sistema de Castas (or Society of Castes) was a porous racial classification system in colonial New Spain (present-day Mexico).

What is the Casta system?

The Casta System was the natural evolution of the medieval Spanish idea of limpieza de sangre, or blood purity. As the Catholic kingdoms of León, Castille, and Aragón completed the Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula, they sought to convert the Jews and Muslims within their newly-conquered lands to Catholicism.

What was the Casta system in Spanish America?

The Casta System was created in colonial times to explain mixed race families to those back in Spain but this racial hierarchy remained in place long after the Spanish had left Latin America. The Casta System was created by the Spanish to maintain their power and superiority to other racial groups in the colonies.