WI: American Inquisition in the Colonial Period

The Spanish, Portuguese and Roman Inquisitions were well-renowned for their cruel methods of torture and execution. Individuals suspected for being heretics or opposing the Catholic Church were often imprisoned and tortured painfully in order to convert their thinking back. Their main targets were Jews, Christian heretics, Muslims, sodomizers, diviners, witches, scientists and scholars, and other special enemies.

The extent of the Catholic Inquisitions is in Goa, a region in India. In Goa, the Goa Inquisition was established by Saint Francis Xavier with the intent of prostelyzing Hindus and Muslims to convert into Catholicism and root out heresy.

During the Goa Inquisition's rule in Goa, the whole tribunal was notorious for their relentless brutality towards the Indians. The Inquisition persecuted and punished Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists and other Christians. The priests incinerated books written in Sanskrit, Marathi, Konkani or Arabic as well with restricted Protestant books from English or Dutch merchant ships. Racial and religious discrimination was common in the proceedings of the Inquisition.

The cruelty and horror of the Inquisition was extremely astounding to the modern man. The Spanish and the Portuguese conquered and colonized the Americas through conquistadors and clerics like Christopher Columbus, Hernan Cortes and Junipero Sera.

What would happen if a Catholic Inquisition was established in the American territories controlled by Spain and Portugal?
 
Whilst there is certainly evidence of serious cruelty by the Spanish Inquisition for eg I do not feel that you are being fair to the Vatican itself and the office of the main Inquisition, which was notably less cruel, more motivated by judicial procedure and proper rules of evidence than secular courts of the time. Additionally the Inquisition had a higher acquittal rate and milder sentences than secular courts. It was also quite tough on witch burners as the Vatican did not believe in witch craft, unlike many protestants. If you want an American "Inquisition" try looking in Massachusetts Bay, where dissent was definitely not tolerated.
It should be noted that the Spanish Inquisition was primarily an organisation devoted to expanding the power of Spain, not the Catholic Church.
 
The Spanish, Portuguese and Roman Inquisitions were well-renowned for their cruel methods of torture and execution.
Compared to their contemporaries the Spanish and Roman Inquisitions were fair courts, with torture being used less frequently than their contemporaries. The “well-renowned” part was made up by the enemies of said groups, who inevitably ran more brutal courts themselves. As noted, you want a brutal Inquisition look to New England.
 
It was already a thing. The Inquisition in the Americas was more unrestrained and crueler than it was in the Old World, they were burning people alive left and right.
Compared to their contemporaries the Spanish and Roman Inquisitions were fair courts, with torture being used less frequently than their contemporaries. The “well-renowned” part was made up by the enemies of said groups, who inevitably ran more brutal courts themselves. As noted, you want a brutal Inquisition look to New England.
Tell that to Native Americans. Spanish courts routinely used all sorts of tortures to force confessions out of them, followed by executions. That was in addition to destroying almost every book and scrap of writing they got their hands on.
 
Tell that to Native Americans. Spanish courts routinely used all sorts of tortures to force confessions out of them, followed by executions. That was in addition to destroying almost every book and scrap of writing they got their hands on
Granted, the New World versions were worse, but that's not what he was saying. His point was clearly that the Inquisition was a uniquely evil institution exceeding its contemporaries in all areas. Which isn't true.

And, well its not like their contemporaries in the New World treated the natives any better. Brutality was far too common all across the New World during the colonial (and after it as well) period.
 
What would be the possible locations for an Inquisition to exist in Colonial Latin America? Here is my suggestions for possible Inquisitions in Latin America with their reasons.
  1. Mexico: At the time of the 16th century after the conquest of Mexico by Hernan Cortes, the Spanish administrators with the help of the Catholic Church worked together to convert the Native Mexicans into Catholicism as evidence by Saint Juan Diego's popularity with Native Mexicans.
  2. Hispaniola: The bishops from the Catholic Church and the friars from the Dominican Order had presence in the Spanish colony of Hispaniola. From there, many complained of tyranny from the administration of Christopher Columbus.
If you want an American "Inquisition" try looking in Massachusetts Bay, where dissent was definitely not tolerated.

As noted, you want a brutal Inquisition look to New England.

Would you elaborate about the quotes?
 
Would you elaborate about the quotes?

As 9 Fanged Hummingbird noted, the Inquisitions DID exist in Central and South America while the Spanish controlled them. This was also probably the Inquisition at its worst.

Basically the point is that while the Inquisitorial presences in the Americas were more brutal than in Europe this wasn't an exceptional practice at the time.
 
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