Cuadros de Casta: A Pseudo-Scientific Means of Control and Racial Taxonomy in Colonial Mexico

Casta paintings of 18th century Mexico are a prime example of an art form mixed with political propaganda, as the 4x4 style paintings depicted over a dozen racial mixings in one painting. Created by Mexican artists for the viewing of Spanish elites, Casta paintings helped to establish the racial hierarchy that continues to be embedded into Latin American society. This paper seeks to determine to what degree Casta paintings served as hierarchical means of Christian, Enlightenment-era colonial control. Part of the panel: Picturesque and ProblematicModerator: Professor Jennifer Tappan