Hola Bill...
Te voy contestar in Ingles....proque no puedo comunicarme muy bien en
Espanol sobre tu opinion que no creas que los negros y mulatos ocupaban una casta
superior a los indigenas.
I think it depended on time frame (era) and where the Africans or mulattos
lived (urban vs country). Keep in mind that owning an African slave to be a
house servant was considered very prestigious because they were very
expensive. Further, they were trusted more than the Native Americans, as the original
settlers always feared being over-thrown by the Native Americans. Finally,
they resisted the diseases brought in by the Spanish. The treatment of slaves
in the sugar fields and the mines was atrocious....many died as a result of
mistreatment.....and were definitely the bottom of the caste system.
So in other words, the African slave in an urban setting may have been more
valued, but like you, I don't think they were considered desirable....as
relates to the caste system.
In a message dated 3/14/2008 3:54:30 P.M. Central Daylight Time,
bill_figueroa@usa.net writes:
No sé cual sea tu fuente de información para decir que negros y mulatos
ocupaban una casta superior a los indígenas. No lo creo. Como recordarás,
los negros y mulatos fueron esclavos de los españoles por varios siglos,
mientras que los indígenas eran trabajadores asalariados. A los indígenas
no se les podía esclavizar por orden del rey de España, desde el momento en
que llegó Cristóbal Colón a estas tierras. Mientras que los esclavos se
compraban y vendían sin restricciones, a los indígenas se les respetaba más.
Yo creo que hubo de todo. Muchos españoles y criollos trataron bien a sus
esclavos, pero también hubo quienes los trataron con crueldad. De eso te
podrás dar cuenta leyendo los testamentos de la gente rica, donde muchos
daban libertad a sus esclavos al morir. A muchos les daban derecho a usar
su nombre y apellido. Mientras la mayoría de indígenas laboraban en los
campos labrando la tierra y cuidando el ganado, los negros y mulatos
trabajaban en las casas o haciendas en oficios domésticos. Eso con muchas
excepciones, pero esa es la impresión que tengo después de leer miles de
documentos en los archivos históricos.
Lo que sucede hoy en día entre migrantes mexicanos y afro-americanos en los
EE.UU. es que hay mucha competencia por trabajos que requieren menor
preparación o estudio ("low skill or entry jobs"). Eso muchas veces puede
crear fricciones entre grupos étnicos diferentes. A ver tú que opinas.
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I would point you both to the story of the negro Yanga in Veracruz... he succesfully fought the Spaniards for the freedom of his people... because Yanga was helped at times by various Mixtec & Totonac peoples.. the Spanish decided to grant Yanga's people their freedom and raise them above the Natives in the Caste system.
Let me point you in the direction of the "Pinturas de Castas" which were the tool used to enforce the Social Hierarchy. One thing you will note is that there are two distinctions for Native Mexicans:
a) Indio(a) you can see them depicted in Noble clothing. They are really referring to the descendants of Pre-Hispanic nobility which were largely given the same status in Spanish life. In fact, in you Spain there is still a nobiliary title known as Duke de Moctezuma which are descendants of Aztec nobility who were "invited" to Spain and spread throughout Europe... as well as descendants of La Malinche... and some highly accomplished Natives that weren't of Pre-Hispanic noble caste such as Marcos Cipac who painted the Virgin of Guadalupe image now sitting in the Basilica (considered by many art critics to be more or less equivalent to the level of the European masters of the time).
b) Meco(a) these are Native Mexicans of "uncivilized" tribes or of lower Pre-Hispanic caste.
So you can see that Indios were one rung above Mulatos, but Mulatos were a rung higher than Mecos.
Really think about this... not only did the Spanish create a wedge between Blacks & Natives... but they created multiple wedges between the Natives themselves.
If you want greater proof of the historical "caste supremacy" of Afro-Mexicans relative to Natives... you just have to analyze why Mexico had a Black president (Vicente "El Negro" Guerrero) 40 years before having its first & only indigenous president (Benito Juarez). It was only after the Mexican revolution, "La Raza Cosmica", the restoration of Chicen Itza & other ancient sites that Native Mexicans regained greater presitige than Afro Mexicans. In fact, Carlos Fuentes even elaborates on this them in "La Muerte de Artemio Cruz"
With regards to violence between Afro-Americans & Mexicans in the U.S.... if you go to South Central L.A. and do an ethnography of recent Mexican immigrants you will find that the vast majority have come from Oaxaca where today, there is great tension between the Afro-Mexican communities and their Zapotec, Mixtec & mestizo neighbors... I think alot of these tension is a historical holdover and does spill to the U.S. as many of these migrants are frankly speaken... quite racist & prejudiced towards Afro-Americans.
Estrataficaion de la
Link
http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/laberinto/fall1997/casta1997.htm