Inquisición
Item
Nota de estado
Finalizado
Country
MX
Name of institution (English)
General Archive of the Nation
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
spa
Contact information: postal address
Eduardo Molina 113, Col. Penitenciaría 15280 Ciudad de México
Contact information: phone number
0052 5133 9900
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
difusion@agn.gob.mx
Reference number
Inquisición
Type of reference number
Call number
Title (English)
Inquisition
Title (official language of the state)
Inquisición
Language of title
spa
Creator / accumulator
Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición de la Nueva España
Date(s)
1522/1819
Language(s)
spa
Extent
1,773 volumes
Type of material
Textual Material
Scope and content
The Inquisición fonds is composed of documentation produced by the New Spain Inquisition. Its most important documents are inquisitorial trials on diverse accusations, such as heresy, apostasy, sorcery, superstition, blasphemy, idolatry, witchcraft, sexual transgressions, and owning or spreading forbidden books or ideas. It also includes documents such as correspondence, decrees and other records related to the functioning and management of the Inquisition tribunal.
The so-called New Christians or Conversos — the descendants of Jews forcefully converted to Christianity after the late 15th-century expulsion from Portugal and Spain — were relevant targets of the Iberian Inquisitions. Therefore, there are numerous documents concerning New Christians and presumed Jewish religious practices in this fonds.
The "Inquisición" collection in this archive contains not only the documentation produced by the Inquisition court established in Mexico but also by the "comissário" (inquisitorial official) of Guatemala. The documentation related to the latter was transported to Mexico during the Revolutionary process (Mantecón Movellán 2010, 81).
Finding aids in the Archive Reading room provide researchers with extensive information on numerous cases related to these and other accusations. Extensive documents are only available in microfilm.
Additionally, numerous projects have endeavoured to transcribe and copy extensive parts of this fonds, which are currently available in other archives outside Mexico, especially in the United States of America. These archives also include copies and original documents extracted from the New Spain Inquisition fonds.
The so-called New Christians or Conversos — the descendants of Jews forcefully converted to Christianity after the late 15th-century expulsion from Portugal and Spain — were relevant targets of the Iberian Inquisitions. Therefore, there are numerous documents concerning New Christians and presumed Jewish religious practices in this fonds.
The "Inquisición" collection in this archive contains not only the documentation produced by the Inquisition court established in Mexico but also by the "comissário" (inquisitorial official) of Guatemala. The documentation related to the latter was transported to Mexico during the Revolutionary process (Mantecón Movellán 2010, 81).
Finding aids in the Archive Reading room provide researchers with extensive information on numerous cases related to these and other accusations. Extensive documents are only available in microfilm.
Additionally, numerous projects have endeavoured to transcribe and copy extensive parts of this fonds, which are currently available in other archives outside Mexico, especially in the United States of America. These archives also include copies and original documents extracted from the New Spain Inquisition fonds.
Administrative / Biographical history
The history of the Inquisition in Mexico originates in the Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition in Spain. After the Spanish colonisation of the Americas, the Inquisition's jurisdiction extended to Spanish America. The initial presence of Inquisitorial authority was felt after the arrival of the first missionaries, who, from 1521 on, were granted some inquisitorial authority to support the conversion of local populations. In this period, the destruction of Mexico's indigenous cultures became obvious. Later, it was decided to establish a new Inquisition court in Mexico. This new institution was established by royal decree of January 25, 1569, issued by King Felipe II (1527-1598), under the designation of Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición en la Nueva España (Court of the Holy Office of the Inquisition in New Spain).
The tribunal's mission was to banish all ideas, opinions, and doctrines contrary to the Catholic orthodoxy in the newly conquered territories. The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition in New Spain was dissolved during the last years of the Viceroyalty. This dissolution was part of the Cadiz liberal movement, which, on February 22, 1813, decided to abolish the Inquisition in Spain and American territories. However, the last session of the Inquisition of Mexico was held in 1820.
The tribunal's mission was to banish all ideas, opinions, and doctrines contrary to the Catholic orthodoxy in the newly conquered territories. The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition in New Spain was dissolved during the last years of the Viceroyalty. This dissolution was part of the Cadiz liberal movement, which, on February 22, 1813, decided to abolish the Inquisition in Spain and American territories. However, the last session of the Inquisition of Mexico was held in 1820.
Access points: locations
Access points: corporate bodies
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
The fonds is divided according to document types. Generally, series follow a chronological order.
Access, restrictions
Only 36% of the collection can be consulted in physical format, equivalent to 639 volumes. The archive is working on conserving and digitising the documents to make them available online. Today, the internal system, named SIRANDA, can only be consulted from the archive facilities in Mexico City. Extensive microfilmed books are also available for local consultation.
Finding aids
A few finding aids are available in the archive's reading room.
Links to finding aids
Existence and location of copies
Author of the description
Kevin Soares, 2023
Bibliography
Published primary sources
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish Colonial Manuscript Collection | Existence and location of originals | |
| Archivo General de Mexico | Existence and location of originals | |
| France V. Scholes Papers | Existence and location of originals | |
| Mexico - Copied Material | Existence and location of originals |
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Mexican Inquisition Collection | Existence and location of copies |
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Archivo General de la Nación | Collections (official language of the state) |