Mexico's witch legends recall the Holy Inquisition's reign of terror

Sheryl Losser
June 6, 2023



La-Mulata de Cordoba statue in Cordoba, Veracruz
An image of La Mulata de Córdoba, a woman from the Veracruz city who was accused of witchcraft by the Holy Inquisition in the 16th century. (Wikimedia Commons)


The 16th and 17th centuries were troubling times in Mexico. With the Spanish conquest came Catholic doctrine, which conflicted with Indigenous religious beliefs and rituals.
Spanish attempts to convert Mexicans to Catholicism weren’t going well, so the Holy Inquisition stepped in to speed up the process.



Conquest of Mexico
The conquest of Mexico by the Spanish was a slow and brutal process. (Wikimedia Commons)

People feared the Inquisition with good reason: witchcraft, sorcery and adultery were accusations made under the umbrella of heresy, and those found guilty by the Catholic court could be burned alive at the stake.

Neighbors accused neighbors; family members accused other family members; everyone feared being turned in to the Inquisition if they didn’t turn in someone else. Women who were herbalists or curanderas (healers), or who were powerful in the community, were often prime targets.

More:
https://mexiconewsdaily.com/culture/mexicos-witch-legends-recall-inquisitions-reign-terror/

Or:
https://archive.ph/1Zkhc#selection-1254.0-1291.65