World History
The Inquisition in 17th Century Peru - The Spanish Inquisition claimed many victims in Europe. However, what most people do not know is that the Inquisition was also carried out in Spanish territories around the world.
The text of this report of the Inquisition in South America (Peru) is provided by the Modern History Sourcebook. It is from the book by Henry C. Lea (1829-1909) The Inquisition in the Spanish Dependencies from 1908.
The Inquisition in Peru would appear to have concentrated on the discovery of Jews who coverted to Catholicism who were suspected of going back to the Jewish faith. No mention of witch hysteria is noted in this text. Although not noted on this page, natives who refused to become Christians also suffered at the hands of the Inquisition in Peru.
From the site:
The most serious business of the tribunal, in the line of its proper functions, was with the apostasy of the Jewish New Christians. From the very foundation of the colonies . . . restrictions were laid on the emigration of Conversos and a law of 1543, preserved in the Recopilacion, orders that search be made for all descendants of Jews who were to be rigorously expelled. In spite, however, of the jealous care observed to preserve the colonies from all danger of Jewish infection, the commercial attractions were so powerful that the New Christians eluded all precautions. At first, however, they occupied but a small portion of the energies of the tribunal. . . . The first appearance of Jews is in the auto of October 29, 1581, when Manuel Upez, a Portuguese, was reconciled with confiscation and perpetual prison, and Diego de la Rosa, described as a native of Quito, was required to abjure de levi and was exiled - showing that the evidence against him was very dubious. . . .
The conquest of Portugal, in 1580, had led to a large emigration to Castile, where Portuguese soon became synonymous with Judaizer, and this was beginning to make itself manifest in the colonies. The auto of December 17, 1595, gave impressive evidence of this. Five Portuguese - Juan Méndez, Antonio Núñez, Juan López, Francisco Báez and Manuel Rodriguez - were reconciled. Another, Herman Jorje, had died during trial and his memory was not prosecuted.
There were also four martyrs. Jorje Núñez, denied until he was tied upon the rack; he then confessed and refused to be converted, but after his sentence of relaxation was read he weakened and was strangled before burning. Francisco Rodríguez endured torture without confessing; when threatened with repetition he endeavored unsuccessfully to commit suicide; he was voted to relaxation with torture in caput alienum, and under it he accused several persons but revoked at ratification. He was pertinacious to the last and was burnt alive. Juan Fernández was relaxed, although insane; the Suprema expressed doubts whether he had intelligence enough to render him responsible. Pedro de Contreras had been tortured for confession and again in caput alienum; he denied Judaism throughout and was relaxed as a negativo; at the auto he manifested great devotion to a crucifix and presumably was strangled; in all probability he was really a Christian. . . .
- Expulsion Of The Jews From Spain (1492) And Portugal (1497)
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- Nos Los Inquisidores - Harley L. Mcdevitt Collection On The Spanish Inquisition
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- History Of Peru
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World History
The Inquisition in 17th Century Peru
The Inquisition in 17th Century Peru - The Spanish Inquisition claimed many victims in Europe. However, what most people do not know is that the Inquisition was also carried out in Spanish territories around the world.
The text of this report of the Inquisition in South America (Peru) is provided by the Modern History Sourcebook. It is from the book by Henry C. Lea (1829-1909) The Inquisition in the Spanish Dependencies from 1908.
The Inquisition in Peru would appear to have concentrated on the discovery of Jews who coverted to Catholicism who were suspected of going back to the Jewish faith. No mention of witch hysteria is noted in this text. Although not noted on this page, natives who refused to become Christians also suffered at the hands of the Inquisition in Peru.
From the site:
The most serious business of the tribunal, in the line of its proper functions, was with the apostasy of the Jewish New Christians. From the very foundation of the colonies . . . restrictions were laid on the emigration of Conversos and a law of 1543, preserved in the Recopilacion, orders that search be made for all descendants of Jews who were to be rigorously expelled. In spite, however, of the jealous care observed to preserve the colonies from all danger of Jewish infection, the commercial attractions were so powerful that the New Christians eluded all precautions. At first, however, they occupied but a small portion of the energies of the tribunal. . . . The first appearance of Jews is in the auto of October 29, 1581, when Manuel Upez, a Portuguese, was reconciled with confiscation and perpetual prison, and Diego de la Rosa, described as a native of Quito, was required to abjure de levi and was exiled - showing that the evidence against him was very dubious. . . .
The conquest of Portugal, in 1580, had led to a large emigration to Castile, where Portuguese soon became synonymous with Judaizer, and this was beginning to make itself manifest in the colonies. The auto of December 17, 1595, gave impressive evidence of this. Five Portuguese - Juan Méndez, Antonio Núñez, Juan López, Francisco Báez and Manuel Rodriguez - were reconciled. Another, Herman Jorje, had died during trial and his memory was not prosecuted.
There were also four martyrs. Jorje Núñez, denied until he was tied upon the rack; he then confessed and refused to be converted, but after his sentence of relaxation was read he weakened and was strangled before burning. Francisco Rodríguez endured torture without confessing; when threatened with repetition he endeavored unsuccessfully to commit suicide; he was voted to relaxation with torture in caput alienum, and under it he accused several persons but revoked at ratification. He was pertinacious to the last and was burnt alive. Juan Fernández was relaxed, although insane; the Suprema expressed doubts whether he had intelligence enough to render him responsible. Pedro de Contreras had been tortured for confession and again in caput alienum; he denied Judaism throughout and was relaxed as a negativo; at the auto he manifested great devotion to a crucifix and presumably was strangled; in all probability he was really a Christian. . . .
- Expulsion Of The Jews From Spain (1492) And Portugal (1497)
Expulsion of the Jews In a year most remembered for Christopher Columbus’s discovery of the New World, the Spanish monarchs were also making history at home. In March 1492, Ferdinand V and Isabella I of Spain issued the Alhambra Decree, which ordered...
- Pernambuco (recife, Brazil)
Pernambuco Pernambuco is a state in the northeastern part of Brazil and is the closest South American land to Europe. This area of about 38,585 square miles with a population close to 8 million in the late 20th century was the first area of South America...
- Nos Los Inquisidores - Harley L. Mcdevitt Collection On The Spanish Inquisition
Nos Los Inquisidores - Harley L. McDevitt Collection on the Spanish Inquisition. Extensive collection of documents from the Spanish Inquisition, maintained at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. From the site: In November 1996 the University...
- History Of Peru
History of Peru. This is brief but well written overview to the history of the South American nation of Peru. From the site: When the Spanish landed in 1531, Peru's territory was the nucleus of the highly developed Inca civilization. Centered...
- Sephardic Jews Invited Back To Spain After 500 Years
The BBC Magazine reports that today, about 500 years since Spain's Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand threw out Muslims and Jews during the Inquisition, Spain is offering "fast-track" citizenship to Jewish descendants of the original Jewish community....