In this painting, in the top left corner, an image is labeled "Español con India, Mestizo". This means a Spaniard who is born in Spain and an Indian woman makes a mixed-race child. It is seen through the image that the man is dressed in Spanish clothes and looks to be of some importance from the looks of his uniform. The woman is dressed in more ethnic clothing that resembles native garments. They produce a child who is of mixed race. The image displays how each parent interacts with the child. The parents seem to love the child. It can be perceived that there is no discomfort or problem with the mixing of races in this illustration. The child even looks to be wearing an outfit that resembles Spanish clothing and importance, which is similar to the father's clothing. It shows how social status wasn't necessarily determined by race. I think that The Murmur of Bees supports this idea. The novel shows how comfortable people were with the mixing of cultures. For example, in one part of the novel, the narrator explains how he was being told to wear Spanish clothing even though he was not at all of Spanish descent. This demonstrates how there was not an issue of people embracing a culture that was not their own. It was almost encouraged to intermix and explore the different cultures in the community.
Unknown Artist. Las Castas. Museo Nacional del Virreinato, Mexico. http://www.americanyawp.com/text/casta-painting/. Accessed October 2020.