Pride and anxiety in New Spain: Francisco Clapera, set of sixteen Casta paintings, c. 1775

Francisco Clapera, Set of Sixteen Casta paintings, c. 1775, 51.1 x 39.6 cm (Denver Art Museum). Speakers: Sabina Kull, Meyer Center Fellow, Denver Art Museum and Beth Harris.

[@lehmann1808]

fascinating! but I really don't know how to do my homework that was based on this video!

[@Smoug]

haha what was your homework about?

[@lehmann1808]

wow that was a long time ago, I remember it being to analyze and complete a worksheet about how these painting reflect the social hierarchal situation back then or something. That was 7 months ago lol

[@ovh992]

Casta means caste. And the caste system is still very much alive in mexico, the Caribbean, the Philippines, india, and even Hawaii. These paintings are almost like colonial American samplers.

[@ovh992]

@Joe Mamama keep dreaming buddy! Watch Mexican tv shows and ask yourself why everyone on tv has light skin. Dark skin indios are not represented on mexican tv unless they are portraying maids. Women in Mexico bleach their hair and bleach their skin to look white. Light skinned people only marry light skinned people.

[@claramente8087]

Never existed a Casta System. This is the evidence of castas such an antropologycal research of the american society. By the way , all the castas seems to be well dressed and wealthy.... On the contrarian there were no jerarchy based on racial aspects, the jerarchy was based on Steps or Estamentos such king- aristocracy- militar and priest- plebeyo - slaved, and there every kind of racial mixture in every step, there were aristocracy black people, native militar or Indian priest or monk and of course white people workers or plebeyos....

[@ovh992]

@@claramente8087 Learn English before you post. Your writing is illegible.

[@yanelkys1]

What a cool video! it makes me think of the Francisco Oller continuation of some of the same topics discussed in the video in during the 19th century.

[@elenaespinosa3520]

I think the fruit that she is pointing to could actually be mamey. It's a common fruit in the Caribbean and tropical regions.

[@squarebynature]

Fascinating! 🙏🌞

[@liviobargelli3641]

Can't believe that they had to write a "note to viewers" at the end for the people who would actually get offended by this....wow....

[@mrbukater2794]

This is Mexican baroque at it's finest.

[@aytira1829]

Thank you for sharing ! This is a great presentation !

[@BumfightkrewAmerica]

I’m Mexican American But I’m Guerro Tbh I am mestizo I have Spanish ancestry and Native Mexican

[@chinchanchou]

Güero write the language of your people well, stop to speak in gringo(foreing), speak castillian is us language

[@JC-nl3nh]

lol how bout speak aztecian you ain’t spanish

[@jesseperez1869]

We all do nothing new

[@jameshero5755]

social class that is so similar to the Philippine cast system of the same era

[@eoagr1780]

They were under the Spanish empire as well. I fact many ships sailed from new Spain to There.

[@ovh992]

Because the system was implemented by the Spanish overlords.

[@JC-nl3nh]

same in india. actually mixed race latin americans are close genetically to the mixed race indians in india.

[@Thomas...191]

And as always .. enjoy

[@michaelmcclure3383]

Thomas Putt yes... the chef john music haha

[@Sasha0927]

The title drew me in again, but this was not at all what I was expecting! I've watched a few dramas about New Spain and there is definitely a recurring theme of racial hierarchies causing tension between populations. I like that these paintings at least acknowledged the intermingling for what it was rather than trying to downplay or disguise it - that's what I'm gonna tell myself, anyway. 😅 Interestingly, I'm used to hearing "criollo" and "mestizo" - "castizo" never came up in any of those, so that's a new one for me.

[@ghost909090]

I am criollo there lots of criollos in jalisco mexico

[@Celestialplane945]

These paintings are so eerie to me. I am a black American with very light skin. I feel like these paintings often infer that African ancestry is “bad” and that society should strive to be more “white” or European. It brings a feeling of discomfort for being both black and having lighter skin. Idk how to explain it. I wish there was more information out there surrounding these peculiar paintings.

[@dwaynearroyo4340]

Puerto Rican Caribbean harnizo here

[@nathanielscreativecollecti6392]

I recently went to see "Big River" a wonderful musical of Huckleberry Fin. Before showing they had signs everywhere warning about the "hated n word." The only way it could offend anyone is if someone decided to be offended. I think that there is no issue with showing this and all the other works like it. The only way that something this old, looked at this objectively could offend someone is if they choose to be offended. We shouldn't shun history.

[@hornybodhisattva]

Am a castizo 💯💯🔥🔥🔥

[@marixcx]

😐

[@KP-zm1bo]

There's no such thing bro... this is a made up system to enforce racism. You don't want to be a part of that, right...?

[@jeanicett5088]

bruh u cant be that anymore

[@jaydavi948]

I am very pale but i am mestzio acording to my DNA

[@Not-Ap]

@@KP-zm1bo He does or else he wouldn't be stating it so proudly.

[@matthewmann8969]

Yup most Latin American Countries Amerindians are often placed at the very bottom then again that could be said for Anglo American And Franco American ones too among the rest of the Americas

[@-xnnybimb-9398]

@@EuropeanAmericanGenZ_ND yeah. But why did the Germano Celtic countries of the American continent become the masters of the continent? Because they stayed pure. The ethnic religious group that make up that 35% are nothing but exploiters, meanwhile the pure Europeans would raise a superpower from scratch from pure hard work.

[@JC-nl3nh]

blacks are at bottom

[@OnlyIfYourReady]

Truth and falsehoods strangely mixed

[@sergiofernandez4566]

Please explain It further

[@MajimeTV]

@@sergiofernandez4566 genetics don't always work this way, it's how a black woman can still have a white baby

[@fm1668]

@@MajimeTV That’s incredibly rare, even if one side is completely white the child will always come out looking not white at all

[@MajimeTV]

@@fm1668 that’s not true.

[@fm1668]

@@MajimeTV incorrect

[@ghost909090]

arriba los criollos

[@XTCintense]

Love your series but you're jumping down a rabbit hole with the end card. Unless you plan on apologizing for every depiction of sex, violence, political upheaval, etc throughout the history of art, I'd remove it ASAP.

[@smarthistory-art-history]

Point taken but that is not an apology. It is a statement of recognition.

[@lewhensilvar3521]

I am Hispanic and I appreciate it the gesture, they should’ve put it at the beginning, though, what’s the point of a disclaimer if it’s at the end of the video?

[@scharles3744]

Mestiza child

[@nathanielscreativecollecti6392]

I don't think that we should try to hide history.

[@MajimeTV]

@@nathanielscreativecollecti6392 but you're the same adamant a-hole who doesn't see how anything, even the N word like you said in another comment, could be problematic. These are not "happy" paintings. It dehumanizes us and makes us look like punnet-square pets. "this is where you stand if you choose to have a child that is dark-skinned." SmartHistory's narrator should have indicated that this verbally, and not with a captioning in the end of the video, but to say that it was "unnecessary" is racist.