Summary of ¿Castas en Nueva España? por Pilar Gonzalbo

00:00:00 - 00:10:00

The video discusses the history of the Castas system in New Spain, which was used to discriminate against people based on their racial heritage. Gonzalbo discusses how the system changed over time, and how it was used to request blood purity certificates from parish priests. However, she also points out that there were also bishops and archbishops who were Jewish, and that the system was not limited to Spain.

• 00:00:00 The video discusses the idea that Spaniards in New Spain (present-day Mexico, United States, and Puerto Rico) did not have a society of castes. This was a trap, because it appeared to solve all of the problems of the society. The reality was much more complicated, and there were other groups that were not either one or the other. This issue started to become more complicated with the arrival of more African slaves. The original population became more complex over time, but it would take a long time for society to begin to perceive groups of intermediates between the Indian and Spanish, between the black and Indian, and so on. The parish registers were the basic document for identifying groups in New Spain, and it was not until 1,585 that this idea was implemented. This was after the third Mexican provincial council (in 1565) decided that parishes should have separate books for Spaniards and Indians. But the parish priests did not know what this meant or in the last years of the 16th century or the first years of the 17th century. This became clear starting in 1593, when I find the first book with castas in the parish church of the Sagrario. The priest must have been conflicted about whether to put Spani
• 00:05:00 The video discusses the fact that in New Spain, castas were used but the following year, 1815, they were abolished. The year following that, in 1816, the arzobispo of Mexico City, Francisco Fonte, wrote a letter to the párrocos of New Spain insisting that they indicate the quality of the baptisms and marriages they performed. The párrocos were not obligated to say anything more than what they noted in the baptism and marriage records, but they did not do any research to verify the information. In 1815, the crown was insisting on this again, and the párrocos finally complied. The arzobispo of Mexico City, Fonte, writes in the letter that the párrocos have an obligation to indicate the quality of the baptisms and marriages, but does not mention castas. The video discusses the fact that in New Spain, castas were used but the following year, 1815, they were abolished. The year following that, in 1816, the arzobispo of Mexico City, Francisco Fonte, wrote a letter to the párrocos of New Spain insisting that they indicate the quality of the baptisms and marriages they performed
• 00:10:00 In this video, Pilar Gonzalbo discusses the Castas system in New Spain, which discriminated against people based on their racial heritage. The Castas system was introduced in 1526, and it was based on the idea that each race had a specific quality that set it apart from others. However, when Gonzalbo attempted to research her family's ancestry, she found that she and her ancestors were not of the same race at all. Some of her ancestors were even mulatto or Morisca, meaning they had a small amount of mixed blood. Gonzalbo discusses the history of the Castas system and how it changed over time. She also discusses the practice of requesting blood purity certificates from parish priests, which was used to discriminate against people based on their heritage. However, Gonzalbo points out that there were also bishops and archbishops who were Jewish, and that the Castas system was not limited to Spain. Lastly, she discusses the practice of sending letters to friends and family members admitting that a person is clean of blood, which was used to protect those with Jewish or Moorish ancestry.