Provincial deputation in Spanish America in the context of "Criollos"

In Hispanic America, criollo (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkɾjoʎo]) is a term used originally to describe people of full Spanish descent born in the New World viceroyalties, under the Spanish crown. In different Hispanic American countries, the word has come to have different meanings, mostly referring to the local-born majority. Beginning in the 16th century, especially in Mexico and Peru, they were a social class near the top of the casta hierarchy of the overseas realms, but below peninsular European-born Spaniards, for whom the top administrative, clerical and political positions were reserved. They were locally born people — almost always of Spanish ancestry, but also sometimes of other European ethnic backgrounds.

In contemporary colloquial speech in many regions, the word has come to be variously used as an adjective or an informal demonym, mostly referring to what's "local", "folksy", or autochtonous to the region, as in- cocina criolla (local cuisine), música criolla (local music), viveza criolla, criollada.

The Spanish American wars of independence (Spanish: Guerras de independencia hispanoamericanas) took place across the Spanish Empire during the early 19th century. The struggles in both hemispheres began shortly after the outbreak of the Peninsular War, forming part of the broader context of the Napoleonic Wars. The conflict unfolded between the royalists, those who favoured a unitary monarchy, and the patriots, those who promoted either autonomous constitutional monarchies or republics, separated from Spain and from each other. These struggles ultimately led to the independence and secession of continental Spanish America from metropolitan rule, which, beyond this conflict, resulted in a process of Balkanization in Hispanic America. If defined strictly in terms of military campaigns, the time period in question ranged from the Battle of Chacaltaya (1809) in present-day Bolivia, to the Battle of Tampico (1829) in Mexico.

These conflicts were fought both as irregular warfare and conventional warfare. Some historians claim that the wars began as localized civil wars, that later spread and expanded as secessionist wars to promote general independence from Spanish rule. This independence led to the development of new national boundaries based on the colonial provinces, which would form the future independent countries that constituted contemporary Hispanic America during the early 19th century. Cuba and Puerto Rico remained under Spanish rule until the 1898 Spanish–American War.