While the "casta" system was in force, the top ecclesiastical, military and administrative positions were reserved for crown-appointed "Peninsulares", most of the local land-owning elite and nobility belonged to the Criollo caste.
While the "casta" system was in force, the top ecclesiastical, military and administrative positions were reserved for crown-appointed "Peninsulares", who also favored the Cádiz monopoly. Most of the local land-owning elite and nobility belonged to the Criollo caste.