What was the hierarchy of Spain's colonial empire in the western hemisphere?

Answer 1

The hierarchical model of the Spanish Colonial Empire was:

1. Peninsulares -- Spaniards born in Spain
2. Criollos / Creoles -- Spaniards born in Latin America
3. Mestizos -- People of Mixed Spanish and Indigenous Latin American Heritage
4. Indígenas / Native Indians -- People of Indigenous Latin American Heritage
5. Negros y Mulatos / Blacks and Mulattos -- People of African Heritage or Mixed Heritage where part of the mixture is African.