Spanish Influence in the New World
Spanish Influence in the New WorldWhen the Spaniards came to settle the New World, or what is
now Mexico and Peru, they imposed many new ways and customs for the
people living there. These institutions were partially what the
Spaniards were used to from living in Spain, and others were simply to
live better. The Spaniards imposed many political, economical, and
social institutions in the New World never heard of before by the
Indians, and many feudal customs and systems that they brought wholly
intact from Spain.
The political institutions were very important for government
functionality in the Spanish colonies. First, a class system similar
to that in Spain was reconstructed anew in the colonies. Those in the
New World that were born in Spain held the highest position. These
people were called Peninsulares, and were the nobles of the feudal
class hierarchy. Below them were the Creoles, or Spaniards born in the
New World. Then came mestizoes, men and women of mixed Spanish and
Indian marriages; mulattoes, people of black and Spanish ancestry; and
zambos, those born from black and Indian marriages. Viceroys were
another political establishment in the New World. The viceroys were
the king's assistants. They helped manage the government in the
colonies, and carried out orders from the king. This method did not
work too well since orders from the king took months and even years
before reaching the viceroys, after which a message may be outdated
and irrelevant.
New social institutions changed the way people lived. The
Church was the first and most important social institution because
Spanish life in the colonies revolved around Catholicism. The Church's
goal was to convert...
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