During most of the colonial era, Spanish American society had a pyramidal structure with a small number of Spaniards at the top, a group of mixedrace people beneath them, and at the bottom a large indigenous population and small number of slaves, usually of African origin. Although the size of these groups varied between regions and fluctuated over the course of three centuries, they comprised the hierarchy of power and social status during most of the colonial period.
The correct answer to this open question is the following.
The other rigid social structures you have studied that are similar to the castas is the social class system in Medieval times in Europe or the class Pyramid of ancient Egypt.
The Castas system was developed by the Spanish people wneh they conquered the many territories in México and South America. It was a rigid system based on race and birth. The Peninsulares were people born in Spain. They were powerful and rich controlled the territories of New Spain. The Creoles follow they were born in New Spain from Spanish parents. They owned land and businesses in the colonies. Then it came the Mestizos, people whose parents were a Native American Father and Spanish mother and vice-versa.
