De Español e Yndia nase Mestiso (18th century) by Anónimo: Escuela MexicanaInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
Castas (Castes) paintings show us a past that was far more racially complex than we may be aware of today.
De Español y Negra nase Mulata (18th century) by Anónimo: Escuela MexicanaInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
The Castas were the language used to discuss the place of the individual within the power structures of colonial society, in other words, their lineage.
De Español y Mestisa nase Castiso (18th century) by Anónimo: Escuela MexicanaInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
Most of these paintings were produced in Mexico at the beginning of the 18th century and were usually a set of 16 individual paintings by the same artist.
De Yndio y Negra nase Lobo (18th century) by Anónimo: Escuela MexicanaInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
There was already a latent perception that the inhabitants of the New World were physically different from their European counterparts and these "new types" had to be documented and new classifications developed.
De Yndio y Mestisa nase Collote (18th century) by Anónimo. Escuela MexicanaInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
The idea that motivated the development of this genre of painting was to record the ethnic characteristics of the inhabitants of America in a coherent way.
De Chino e Yndia nase Canbujo (18th century) by Anónimo: Escuela MexicanaInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
Castas or "race mixing" paintings are essential elements for the understanding of the colonial culture of America. They are pieces that bear witness to a historical moment in which social, political and moral circumstances that prevailed were very different from today's.
De Canbujo e Yndia nase Tenteenelaire (18th century) by Anónimo: Escuela MexicanaInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
The terms developed to describe mixed race people were widely engraved in the language of countries throughout the Americas. While many terms are considered offensive today, some of these words are still in use, such as mestizo.
DeTenteenelaire y Mulata nace Albarazado (18th century) by Anónimo: Escuela MexicanaInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
The family group was considered the basis of the Spanish Catholic society which dominated much of the Americas.
De Albarazado e Yndia nase Barsino (18th century) by Anónimo: Escuela MexicanaInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
The family paradigm (man + woman = child) was the formula used to bring consistency to these classifications or rankings.
De Varsino e Yndia nase Canpamulato (18th century) by Anónimo: Escuela MexicanaInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
These anonymous artworks were popular in the 18th century and at the time were thought to be scientific. Castas propose an idea for physical characteristics passed down from parents to their children to be understood and shared visually.
De Español y Morisca nace Albino (18th century) by Anónimo: Escuela MexicanaInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
One of the biggest challenges of this form of ethnic organization was to place people in a category. The difficulty was that it was not an exact science and due to its characteristics, individuals could fit into more than one category.
Yndios, Mecos, Apaches (18th century) by Anónimo: Escuela MexicanaInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
These paintings of great narrative power are also communicating ideas about race, sexuality, lifestyle, social class, and diet among other elements.
De Español y Albina nase Torna atras (18th century) by Anónimo: Escuela MexicanaInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
Castas paintings are artistically and aesthetically pleasing. The observer has to pay attention to the foods and activities represented in each scene.
De Español y Mulata nase Morisco (18th century) by Anónimo: Escuela MexicanaInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
In sectors of the society of the time, the assumption that food and the environment produced changes in the body of the individual –and therefore could change their appearance and that of their progeny– was debated.
The artistic genre of Casta paintings were a useful tool for organizing the population of the New World highlighting human heterogeneity. We can compare them to the modern census where people classify themselves according to their race.
These paintings were commonly commissioned by viceroys, colonial government officers and Catholic church officials. All this events occur within the Spanish Inquisition (1478-1834), where presumably castes artworks were used as guidelines when issuing “pure blood” certificates. The protagonists of the scenes are beautifully dressed, look healthy and are depicted with a social mobility that makes us nowadays look pale and short in opportunities of ascending socially.
A vast majority of casta paintings are in museums and private collections in Mexico and Spain. The ICP has one of the most complete sets on Puerto Rico for everyone to study and enjoy.
