How was colonial Chilean society divided among peninsulares, Creoles, mestizos, Indigenous people, and enslaved Africans?

Colonial Chilean society was highly structured, characterized by a rigid ethnic hierarchy that placed Spanish-born individuals at the top and marginalized Indigenous and African populations. By the end of the colonial period, this social order was organized as follows:12

• Peninsulares: Recently arrived Spaniards who held the highest status and occupied the top tier of the social hierarchy.12
• Creoles: Native-born persons of European descent who followed the peninsulares in social standing.12
• Mestizos: Individuals of mixed Indigenous and European ancestry. This group grew rapidly after 1600, eventually becoming the largest segment of the population.12
• Indigenous people: Often utilized as a labor force, though they were frequently viewed as unreliable by settlers. While some remained unsubjugated, others were assimilated into the colonial labor system.123
• Enslaved Africans: Occupied the lowest position in the social structure. Due to the colony's relative poverty, the number of enslaved Black people remained limited to a few thousand throughout the colonial era.12

This stratification was reinforced by the Roman Catholic Church and the colonial administration, which maintained strict class differences and limited the social mobility of those in the lower tiers.12