Peninsulares

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term used to describe Spanish individuals born in Spain who settled in the colonies of the Americas; it signifies a social class that held significant power and privilege during colonial rule; this group often contrasted with native inhabitants and other colonial settlers, such as Creoles and mestizos
2. Refers to those Spaniards who emigrated to the New World and were part of the colonial administration; they were typically landowners and played a crucial role in governance and economy; their status distinguished them from the locals and other European settlers
3. Denotes the Spaniards residing in colonial territories in the Americas, characterized by their high social standing and authority; they were integral to the colonial hierarchy, often maintaining control over resources and administration, while being regarded differently from those of mixed or indigenous descent

Etymology: "Peninsulares" is the plural of "peninsular," and the plural is what gives the term its meaning. In the historical sense, the word was borrowed from Spanish "peninsular," meaning a person from the Iberian Peninsula. The English adjective "peninsular" came from Latin "paeninsularis," built from "paene" ("almost") and "insula" ("island"), so a peninsula is literally an almost-island, a landmass nearly surrounded by water. In the Spanish colonies, "peninsular" was a useful label because it set apart Spaniards born in Spain from those born in the Americas, the criollos. Those born in the New World were considered lesser by many Spanish officials, even when their families were wealthy and long established there. A peninsular was therefore a Spaniard whose origin lay in the Iberian homeland, and the title carried real weight in colonial posts, land, and trade.