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The Criollo ((:ˈkɾjoʎo) or "creole" people) were a social class in the caste system of the overseas colonies established by Spain in the 16th century, especially in Hispanic America, comprising the locally born people of confirmed European (primarily Spanish) ancestry. The ''Criollo'' class ranked below that of the Iberian ''Peninsulares'', the high-born (yet class of commoners) permanent resident colonists born in Spain. But ''Criollos'' were higher status/rank than all other castes — people of mixed descent, Amerindians, and enslaved Africans. According to the ''casta'' system, a ''Criollo'' could have up to 1/8 (one great-grandparent or equivalent) Amerindian ancestry and not lose social place (see ''Limpieza de sangre''). In the 18th and early 19th centuries, changes in the Spanish Empire's policies towards her colonies (and their polyglot of peoples) led to tensions between the ''Criollos'' and the ''Peninsulares''. The growth of local ''Criollo'' political and economic strength in their separate colonies coupled with their global geographic distribution, and led them to each evolve a separate (both from each other and Spain) organic national personality and viewpoint. ''Criollos'' were the main supporters of the Spanish American wars of independence. The term ''criollo'' is not to be confused with the English/French ''creole''. The word "creole" is applied to many ethnic groups around the world who have no historic connection to Spain or to any colonial system. Indeed, many of those creole peoples were never a distinct social caste, and were never defined in terms of racial purity concepts. == Origin of the term == The word ''criollo'' and its Portuguese cognate ''crioulo'' are believed to come from the Spanish/Portuguese verb ''criar'', meaning "to breed" or "to raise". Originally the term was meant to distinguish the members of any foreign ethnic group who were born and "raised" locally, from those born in the group's homeland, as well as from persons of mixed ethnic ancestry. Thus, in the Portuguese colonies of Africa, ''português crioulo'' was a locally born person of Portuguese descent; in the Americas, ''negro criollo'' or ''negro crioulo'' was a locally born person of pure black ancestry; and, in Spanish colonies, an ''español criollo'' was an ethnic Spaniard who had been born in the colonies, as opposed to an ''español peninsular'' born in Spain.〔Genealogical historical guide to Latin America - Page 52〕 ''Limpieza de sangre'' or "cleanness of blood" was a legal concept in use since the Spanish Reconquista, and introduced to the Spanish colonies in the Americas. In 15th century Spain, the concept was used to distinguish old Christians of "pure" unmixed Iberian Christian ancestry (either Southern Spanish Mozarabs or Christians from the northern kingdoms of Spain) from new Christians descending from converted Moriscos (Iberian Muslims) and Sephardim (Iberian Jews), together known as ''conversos'' (converts), whose real alligiance was institutionally suspected. The English word "creole" was a loan from French ''créole'', which in turn is believed to come from Spanish ''criollo'' or Portuguese ''crioulo''. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Criollo people」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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