Central to South America has an ongoing battle with classism. Classism is “societal messages around poverty and class, people are discriminated against, excluded, and ridiculed around perceived social class,” according to Stanford University. 

Classism originates from the Spanish colonizers–also known as conquistadors–when they came over to the Americas in search of goods. It led to hundreds of years of long-lasting mistreatment still alive today. 

It began with encomienda, a practice that systemically solidified the subordination of Indigenous people. They were often mistreated, abused, raped, and killed in order to show dominance of the conquistadors. As the years progressed, it was normal for the poor to miss out on an education. 

That ideal remained until around the 1800s when the population was mixed Indigenous and White. Most Spanish people remained at the very top, even when they started to fight back against Spain. Eventually, the colonies all broke free from Spanish rule, gaining their own independence, spewing out an era of instability; they broke free from Spain, but not from their negative legacy.

People in poverty continued to be treated and viewed negatively. The issue the previous hierarchy created was that poor people had little to no education, only allowing the more wealthy to earn one. The rich only hired people with good and valuable knowledge, creating a noticeable separation between classes. People without much money were and still are constantly discriminated against and seen as unintelligent because of this disadvantage. This would continue all the way to the 1900s and would even be enforced in a harsh manner in a few countries. 

A few dictators arose in a couple of countries in the 1900s. The best way for dictators to keep their rule was to get support from the rich class, and with that money, they had an easier way of controlling the poor. They continued to enforce this disadvantage, knowing it would make the privileged obliged to fuel their reign. This also led to an increase in police brutality against poorer and Indigenous communities. After most dictators, since it occurred less than a hundred years ago, the impact of the mistreatment is still visible in today’s world.

Classism was an unspoken issue until around Black Lives Matter (BLM). According to Eduardo Campos Lima, a journalist, Latinos all over different countries took inspiration from the BLM movement to start protesting for their rights. Campos Lima said, “Now activists and everyday people across Latin America, inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, have organized demonstrations related to their own local histories of police brutality, classism, and racism.” Peaceful protests have become a more common practice to show the unlawfulness of the police and the rich. 

The influence of the BLM movement is having a positive effect in Latin countries. It has caused more people to talk about the issues of being a Latino in another country or in their own home country.