how many racial groups existed in latin america during the 18th century?

Direct answer: During the 18th century in Latin America, there was no single standardized set of “racial groups.” Historians describe a spectrum of categories shaped by Spanish colonial racial classifications (notably the casta system) and local realities, but the most frequently cited framework recognizes several broad groups and many intermediate categories rather than a fixed number. The common framework often discussed includes main strands like Europeans (Peninsulares and Criollos), Indigenous peoples (Indios), Africans and Afro-descendants (Africans and their mixed descendants), and individuals of mixed European-Indigenous or European-African heritage (miscegenation categories such as mestizos, mulatos, zambos, and pardos, among others). Depending on region and time, researchers enumerate dozens of distinct “casta” labels, many of which described nuanced mixtures (for example, European+Indigenous+African lineages) and local variations. If you need a precise count for a particular region (e.g., Viceroyalty of New Spain, Peru, or the Caribbean), that would require specifying the locale since counts vary by territory and whether you include only legally recognized categories or also local colloquial labels.