Every colony in seventeenth and eighteenth century Latin America possessed its own unique social structure; these dynamic hierarchies varied from area to area but were markedly consistent across the continents. The societies of Brazil and Cuba particularly exemplified the idea that, despite their numerous differences, the first colonies of the Americas all boasted surprisingly similar social traditions and standards. Although the aforementioned colonies were settled by completely different countries and have their own disparate cultures and histories, they both adhered to the immutable hierarchies formed among different ethnicities and different social classes - hierarchies that applied to the colonists and the indigenous peoples alike.
Brazil was initially home to approximately two and a half million indigenous people, a number that was quickly reduced to near zero by smallpox, measles, and the inhumane labor forced upon them by European colonists. The majority of these Brazilian colonists hailed from Portugal, with large numbers also migrating to the colony from Italy, Germany, and Spain. In addition to the European immigrant population, a total of over eighteen million African slaves were imported into the colony before the practice was abolished in 1888. The social structure in Brazil was composed of two main sub-hierarchies: those of ethnicity and economic standing. The Brazilian multiracial system was divided, in the broadest sense, into divisions of whites, blacks, and mulattoes, yet dozens of other subtle local or regional classifications existed as well. However, Brazil's innumerable racial distinctions were by far subordinate to those of economic status. One's ancestry was considered more important than mere physical appearance, as a rich black could be referred to as a white man and a poor white was termed black. The senhores de engenho (or mill owners) of the colony were the primary landowners, and their status as the owners of the largest sugar-processing plants granted them positions in the Brazil's highest social stratum.
