Latin American Skin Color

A Character Guide of Skin Colour in Colonial and Post-Colonial Latin America Through interactions that predate the colonial experience for the people of Latin America, a system of power had already been established that brought with it a way of thinking that defined and shaped both institutions and the internalized understandings of “race” and the perceived value of character that came with skin colour. Furthermore, what it meant to be ‘black’ or ‘Indian’ in Latin America meant having entire systems of power, both political and religious, working against entire populations of people for the benefit of white Europeans. This was based on a system of knowledge that had been interpreted largely from biblical scripture and pre-existing interactions …show more content…
Ada Ferrer (1999) wrote about the post-colonial society of Cuba and their quest for independence in the late 19th century. What is important to notice is that the beliefs and ideas that propelled the slave trade and the justifications for it lingered on hundreds of years later. In order to convince Europeans that the Cuban people could in fact govern themselves, it was decided that it “would depend on how they behaved and appeared before others.’’ (Ferrer.1999:35). This meant that at any sign of bad temperament would confirm what Europeans thought of the Latin Americans all along. Remembering that during this time of colonial control it was naturally accepted that white people were innately better than people of colour due to their essence; born with good or bad blood. This ultimately was the Cubans attempt to become a part of characteristics linked to “white” …show more content…
The hierarchy existed to perpetuate the beliefs of the Church, the Monarchy in Britain, the government and political agendas that existed in Latin America. How people responded and interpreted ‘race’ was largely in part of religion and the church and how they chose to classify people of colour. These notions and understandings followed Europeans into Latin America where institutions, the government and military, where political agendas worked to the benefit of those in power. Institutionalized racism are the structural barriers that exist to block certain people from reaching their full potential and full access into society. If slaves, or the oppressed people of colour in any form, were to have their humanity recognized then the ramifications imply the analysis of action and understanding of what the enslavement of people actually meant (Trouillot.1995:84). As such, the indifference to suffrage was not just a way of remaining ignorant to the misery of the enslaved and discriminated, but rather a means to hold onto the traditional views of a racial hierarchy that long shaped the way in which white European viewed and accepted the world