In line with this agenda, social status in Brazil was not exclusively determined by race; instead, it can be argued that an individual's social identity is more impacted by physical appearances in combination with class and cultural practices. By creating a third category in the ternary system, multiracial individuals were given more vertical social mobility than Brazilians of African descent. However, multiracial identities were further stratified, with the order of desirability being as follows: "mamelincos" (European and Native American), "mulatto" (European with either Native American or African), and "catusos" (Native American and African); wherein "mamelincos" and "mulatto" identities had more opportunities for mobility than those of "catusos" heritage.