What is Caste:
The word caste, as a noun, refers to lineage or ancestry of a certain social group. Those who belong to said lineage share phenotypic, religious, cultural or historical traits, from which a series of duties and/or rights are attributed in society.
The origin of the word caste is undetermined. In some sources, such as Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academyit is maintained that it derives from the Gothic term Kastanassociated with the zoological sense of ‘group of animals’.
There are also those who maintain that it comes from Latin castuswhich means ‘pure’, a meaning applied by the Portuguese during the period of exploration (16th-17th centuries) to refer to certain social groups in India, organized in endogamous systems.
caste system
Caste system is an expression that refers to those societies whose organization and functioning are based on castes, that is, on groups of people classified according to their line of birth, which determines their role and social function for life.
Caste systems were widely used in ancient societies, and still remain in force in certain non-Western societies.
Examples of caste systems
A example of non-Western caste system still in force is the caste system in India.
A example historical already repealed, although close, is the colonial caste system in Latin America.
Characteristics of caste systems
Every caste system is different. However, some common features can be established.
Society is divided into segments; The segments are determined by the degree of racial or ethnic purity; The social hierarchy is determined by ethnic origin; The distribution of social and work roles is also adapted to ethnic origin; The occupations of each caste are hereditary; In some societies, a religious justification is attributed to the caste system; Some caste systems are completely endogamous; Others allow miscegenation but only formally validate unions between equals or between castes with a similar degree of purity. Each caste in the same society has its own eating habits.
colonial caste system
Castes in Latin America emerged in the colonial period from the process of miscegenation among whites, coming from Europe; the Indians, settlers of the American territory, and the blacks, slaves brought from Africa.
The nomenclatures of the caste system varied from locality to locality and, even there, varied in popular use, so that confusion could occur. There were various lists and criteria to represent the universe of castes in colonial society.
Types of castes in the viceroyalty of New Spain
According to the following image, the types of castes in New Spain More clearly defined during the 18th century were:
Chart of castes in New Spain according to an anonymous person from the 18th century (Tepotzotlán)
Half Blood: Spanish with Indian
Castizo: mestizo with spanish
Spanish: castizo with spanish
Mulatto: Spanish with blackberry
Moorish: mulatto with spanish
Chinese: Moorish with Spanish
Sata back: chinese with india
Wolf: jump back with mulatto
Gibaro either jíbaro: wolf with china
Albarazado: gibaro (jíbaro) with mulatto
cambujo: embellished with black
Sambaigo (zambaigo): exchange with india
Calpamulato: sambaigo with wolf
Stay in the air: calpamulato with cambuja
I don’t understand you: try in the air with mulatto
Turn back: I don’t understand you with India
Types of castes in South America
There were also other classifications of the caste system widely used in South America, although they were also used in New Spain. To know how many castes came to exist in that society, just review this list:
Creole: Europeans in America
Half Blood: Spanish and indigenous
Castizo, quadralbo castizo either mestizo quarter: Spanish with mestizo
Spanish: castizo with spanish
Baboon either jarocho: indigenous with black
tight Zambo: black with club
Mulatto: Spanish with black
Moorish (different from peninsular Moriscos) or mulatto quarter: mulatto with spanish
Albino or octavon: Spanish with Moorish
jump back either skipper: albino with Spanish
packed: mestizo with mulatto
Cholo, coyote either meslindio: indigenous with mestizo
Chinese either dark mulaio: mulatto with indigenous
Galfarro: mulatto with black
Harnizo: Spanish with cholo
Harnizo: castizo with mestizo
Chamizo either chamiso: coyote with indigenous
Coyote mongrel: chamizo with mestizo
cambujo: Chinese with indigenous
Wolf: jump back with mulatto
Gibaro either jíbaro: wolf with Chinese
Albarazado: gibaro with mulatto
cambujo: embellished with black
Sambaigo: cambujo with indigenous
Campamulato: sambaigo with wolf
Stay in the air: campamulato with cambujo
I don’t understand you: try in the air with mulatto
Turn back: I don’t understand you with India
See also:
Caste in zoology
In zoology, caste refers to the group of individuals of the same species that, organized in society, fulfills specific and differentiated functions from other groups. For example, some insects develop a certain type of society, in which various groups responsible for certain functions are distinguished. This is the case of bees, wasps and ants.
Take the case of ants. Ants organize themselves into societies divided into castes. The majority group represents the worker caste, responsible for building the nest, caring for the larvae and feeding the queen. They also have soldier ants, queen ants (fertile ants responsible for reproduction) and winged males (responsible for fertilizing fertile ants).
chaste woman
A chaste woman means a sexually pure woman. In this case, the word chaste functions as a qualifying adjective associated with the virtue of chastity.