Divine Caste
The divine caste, known as "la casta divina" in Spanish, refers to a group of wealthy and influential families in the Yucatán Peninsula during the 19th and early 20th centuries. They were considered the social and intellectual elite of the region and held significant cultural, political, and economic power.
A few members of the divine caste traced their lineage back to the early Spanish conquistadors and settlers of Yucatan. They were predominantly Criollos, which refers to individuals of Spanish descent born in the Americas. These families maintained close ties with the Catholic Church and held positions of prominence in government, law, business, and academia. They played a significant role in shaping the intellectual and cultural life of Mérida and the Yucatán peninsula. Their influence extended beyond the local sphere, with some members of the caste holding positions of national importance.
the term "divine caste" was not self-appointed by the Yucatecan elite. It was a designation used by their critics and others to describe them. Instead, the Yucatecan elite preferred to refer to themselves as the "decent people" or "gente decente," which conveyed a sense of social superiority and moral rectitude due to their adherence to societal norms, conservative Catholicism, European cultural influences, and refined lifestyles.
This exclusive group, composed of about twenty families, exerted control over the henequen industry, which transformed Yucatán into Mexico's wealthiest and most industrialized state in the early 20th century. During Yucatan's Gilded Age, which lasted roughly between 1870 and 1920, Yucatecan henequen accounted for nearly twenty percent of Mexico's total exports. Out of its haciendas came 90% of the sacks and rope consumed internationally. Both goods were considered essential in the context of the Second Industrial Revolution and the naval arms races between the Great Powers as the world prepared for World War I. Henequen "crossed all borders. It was sold everywhere: binder twine in the United States; silk in Germany and henequen sacks throughout the Americas. In other words, it almost became an article of first necessity in the entire world." By 1900, Yucatán was exporting 81 million kilograms of henequen to the United States each year, roughly 178.5 million pounds priced at $9.48 USD per pound. Solely from their exports to the United States, henequen exporters were generating annual revenue of roughly $1.7 billion USD. Adjusted for inflation, this 1900 annual revenue would amount to approximately $62 billion USD in 2023. Unlike other plantations in Latin America, the leading Yucatecan families retained ownership over land, physical capital, and infrastructure. The henequen boom led Mérida, the state capital, to boast more millionaires per capita than any other city in the world.
By the early 20th century, the divine caste experienced internal divisions, reflecting a power struggle between the traditional upper-class families that had long dominated the Yucatán peninsula and Olegario Molina, who aimed to monopolize the henequen industry, acting on behalf of J.P. Morgan and the International Harvester, an American conglomerate. The social upheaval caused by the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) significantly impacted the divine caste's political influence. The revolution brought about profound changes in Mexican society, including the redistribution of land and wealth. As a result, the divine caste lost much of its power and control over the henequen industry. Nonetheless, descendants of the Yucatecan elite continued to be active in public life even after the decline of the divine caste's political influence. Their historical legacy and contributions to the development of Yucatán and Mexico as a whole remain noteworthy.