Creole: Encyclopedia II - Creole - Latin American Creole

Creole - Latin American Creole

In most of Latin America Creole (Spanish, criollo, Portuguese, crioulo) generally refers to people of unmixed Spanish or Portuguese descent born in the New World. In Brazil, though, the word is a pejorative slang for a black individual.

Throughout the colonial history of Latin America, the Spanish caste system made distinction between criollos and the higher-ranking and governing peninsulares, despite both being of unmixed Spanish ancestry — the only distinction being that the latter were born on the Iberian Peninsula, hence the name.

This formed a discontented criollo underclass that, together with the support of the other decreasing-in-rank underclasses — castizos, mestizos, cholos, mulattos, amerindians, zambos, and utlimately blacks — impelled the Mexican War of Independence (1810–1821) and the South American Wars of Independence (1810–1825) against Spain, culminating in the establishment of republics throughout the former Spanish Empire.

In Brazil, a very different process occurred, independence largely being granted without major war, and the relationship between unmixed Portuguese, i.e., with no Indian or black ancestry and mestiços kept mostly peaceful. Unlike in Spanish America, a Brazilian monarchy directly connected to the Portuguese monarchy was established. Those unmixed Portuguese born in Portugal living in Brazil were deemed galegos (literally Galicians, in reference to the northern Portuguese origin of most, but also used on those born in south Portugal).

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Latin American Creole", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki