Ramon Torres's Oil Painting, Apache Indians

Apache Indians (E Yndios Apachis), is an oil painting on copper, created by Ramon Torres in 1780. It comes from a series of paintings called, castas. Castas, meaning level or castes, refers to lineage. They were used to depict this system of racial hierarchy, and would be done in sets of 16 images. These types of paintings were popular in Spanish colonial Mexico during the 18th century. The first painting in the series would be of the highest born, and each would follow in descending order to the lowest born. The caste system was used to determine social importance, and in turn privileges and rights. Although the terms used to categorize the racial variations did differ from region to region, during the Spanish colonial period there