Spanish colonial society was divided into a caste system. Peninsulares were the wealthy, elite and regarded themselves higher than everyone else because they were born in Spain. Creoles were the middle class, and were often born in Latin America. However, they were sometimes raised in Europe where they picked up on many of the Enlightenment ideas. Mulattos were at the bottom of the society structure and were those made up of mixed European and African heritage. Enslaved peoples were also Mulattos, and people in this class tended to be very poor.