In Spaniards in the Colonial Empire, Burkholder discusses the differences between peninsulars and creoles. He argues that life in Spanish America from the arrival of Columbus in 1492 until its independence was characterized by the inequality of creoles: people of Spanish blood born in America, compared to the privileged status held by peninsulars: the people born in Spain. Travel to India was motivated by the desire to accumulate wealth. Rivalries between Creoles and Peninsulars began in the church, which was a major source of employment and income during the colonial era. The age requirements for Creoles were higher than those for Peninsulars and available positions were more frequently assigned to the former. Women choosing to join convents were granted entry based on racial and socioeconomic factors proving their limpieza de sangre. Native girls, children from the peninsulas taken to Spanish America at a young age, often married men from the peninsula and vice versa, usually to gain status because the peninsulas held power and wealth. This limited the movement of upward mobility sought by the lower classes because power and wealth were held between the peninsulas. Burkholder goes on to explain that after towns were established with the establishment of schools, churches, government offices, and an army, the crown would send peninsulas to America and place them in positions of higher rank. This guaranteed loyalty to the crown and opened the way for further dissension among the Creoles. Spaniards born in the United States had several advantages over Peninsulars. They were more educated, having spent more time in school. In addition, they knew the indigenous language, which allowed for improved communication with indigenous people. Another factor... middle of paper ... more ineffective than not. It took several weeks to travel to and from America and the fact that people did not question the authority of the crown due to these many factors leads me to question the book and the sources . Peninsular placements of office that Creoles deserved led to government corruption and an inability to govern justly. Creoles did not just question the establishment of peninsulas in offices intended for Creoles, they defended their cause time and time again, asserting that they knew the indigenous language(s), that they were familiar with the landscape and that they were more educated. Spain neglected the Creoles and indigenous sons, and once the latter grew tired of submitting to the Spanish monarchy, it fought back. Works Cited Burkholder, Mark A. The Spanish in the Colonial Empire: Creoles versus Peninsulars? Wiley-Blackwell: United Kingdom, 2013.