There's no way you're missing the point this broadly.
"Although Criollos were legally Spaniards, in practice they ranked below the Iberian-born Peninsulares. Nevertheless, they had preeminence over all the other populations — Amerindians, enslaved Africans and peoples of mixed descent.:
The Peninsulares were the Spaniards who set up council to keep control of the Brasilian colony from a distance.
"Although Criollos were legally Spaniards, in practice they ranked below the Iberian-born Peninsulares. Nevertheless, they had preeminence over all the other populations — Amerindians, enslaved Africans and peoples of mixed descent.:
The Peninsulares were the Spaniards who set up council to keep control of the Brasilian colony from a distance.