THE INQUISITION AS THE GUARDIAN OF CATHOLIC FAITH AND MORALITY
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The Holy Office of the Inquisition, whose roots may be found in fifteenth-century Spain, was formally established as a Tribunal in Mexico in 1571. After an initial period in which the Bishop of Yucatán gained notoriety for dealing severely with the Indians, it was decreed that the Inquisition would have no authority over Indians. Moreover, contrary to popular belief, the Inquisition had no jurisdiction over Jews. However, once Jews had converted to Catholicism, voluntarily or by force, the Holy Office exercised its responsibility to ensure that these conversos and their descendants did not backslide into their old faith. Many "crypto-Jews" emigrated to New Spain from Spain and Portugal. With the exception of periods of persecution by the Inquisition in the 1580s and 1590s, and again in the 1640s, many of these conversos lived successful lives and practiced their old traditions discreetly in the secrecy of their own homes. |