Rest assured, nobody is thinking of the Spanish-Portuguese casta system when they talk about Indian caste. We might use the same word but I don't think anyone i

Rest assured, nobody is thinking of the Spanish-Portuguese casta system when they talk about Indian caste. We might use the same word but I don't think anyone is familiar enough with the Spanish usage in the Americas for it to bring about a misunderstanding. But you make a very good point. For non Spanish speakers or people not familiar with the Spanish casta system, it's synonymous with breed and lineage. Before the "Conquista", the lineage was focused on nobility Vs peasants. During the conquista, it shifted to a racial pecking order. The idea that the Spanish casta (castizo) was at the top of the pyramid, and any mixtures with other races put you at different levels in that pyramid. For instance a white castizo mixed with a black person would be mulato, but a white non-castizo like a Dutch or English white mixed with a black would give you a lower but similar caste. Your caste had implications in social and political life -- access to property, being able to hold certain jobs, etc. It quickly became unworkable because of the ever growing degrees of "mestizaje". I don't know if India has a similar idea (what caste are you when a dalit mixes with a Brahmin?), but as you've mentioned, it's worth noting that the word we use for the Indian Varna does come a Spanish word (which in turn probably has Nordic roots) for a very different race/lineage based caste system.