Introduction to New Christians in Colonial Peru
Technically, New Christians (conversos) were not allowed to travel to the Spanish Americas. Some did, including to the Viceroyalty of Peru, a territory much larger than modern Peru.
Precious metals were the basis of the economy. Mercury – which is used to extract silver from ores – was mined in Huancavélica, for use in both Peru and Potosi.
The Viceroyalty of Peru (Spanish: Virreinato del Perú) covered Spanish South America and Panama. The map below shows the six audencias in 1650, superimposed over a map showing the modern borders.
 | The audencias were: 1. Panamá 2. Santa Fe de Bogotá 3. Quito 4. Lima 5. La Plata de los Charcas 6. Chile Note that the border with Brazil in the west is the one dictated by the Treaty of Tordesillas between Spain and Portugal. |
Timeline of New Christians in Peru, 1532-1813
- 1532: Francisco Pizarro begins the Spanish conquest of Peru.
- 1569: The Inquisition is established in Lima, Peru.
- 1570s-1580s: Several individuals of New Christian (converso) background are identified in Peru, though not necessarily practicing Judaism secretly.
- 1595: The first auto-da-fé is held in Lima, but no judaizers are among those punished.
- 1635: A major trial of alleged crypto-Jews begins in Lima, known as the “Great Complicity” (La Complicidad Grande).
- 1639: The auto-da-fé resulting from the Great Complicity is held. Eleven people are executed for allegedly practicing Judaism in secret.
- 1650: Another significant auto-da-fé is held in Lima, with several accused of judaizing.
- 1701: The last person executed for judaizing in Peru, Diego de Zárate, is burned at the stake.
- 1720: The last recorded trial for judaizing takes place in Peru.
- 1813: The Inquisition is abolished in Peru.
The Inquisition in Peru
Research Resources
- Historia del tribunal de la Inquisición de Lima by José Toribio Medina
- Control Espiritual y Bienes Temporales. Manuscritos del Tribunal de la Inquisición de Lima. Siglos XVI-XIX by Carlos Guillermo Carcelén Reluz; Alexander Ortega Izquierdo
- Anales de la inquisición de Lima: estudio histórico by Ricardo Palma is available free online.
- The Lima Inquisition: The Plight of Crypto-Jews in Seventeenth-Century Peru by Ana E. Schaposchnik
- The theatre of infamy : autos de fe in Peru : Inquisition trial and sentencing records, 1639-1749 by Jerry M. Williams (Has an excellent Bibliography)
- Nuevo texto en el caso de Ana de Castro: inquisicion de lima en juicio by Jerry M. Williams
List of known auto-da-fés in Lima (with dates)
Below is a list of 33 believed Lima autos-de-fe that I have identified from online sources. It is an incomplete and unproven list. New Christians and Jews may not have appeared at all of these autos.
| Month | Year |
| 1573 | |
| Apr 13 | 1578 |
| 1580 | |
| 1581 | |
| 1582 | |
| 1605 | |
| 1608 | |
| Jun 17 | 1612 |
| Dec 21 | 1625 |
| Aug 17 | 1635 |
| Jan 23 | 1639 |
| Nov 17 | 1641 |
| 1660 | |
| Feb 16 | 1666 |
| Mar 16 | 1693 |
| Dec 20 | 1694 |
| Nov 28 | 1719 |
| Sept 21 | 1720 |
| July 12 | 1733 |
| Dec 23 | 1736 |
| Nov 11 | 1737 |
| Jun 10 | 1740 |
| Feb 7 | 1741 |
| Mar 2 | 1742 |
| Feb 7 | 1743 |
| Oct 19 | 1749 |
| Apr 6 | 1761 |
| Sept 1 | 1773 |
| Feb 18 | 1800 |
| Aug 27 | 1803 |
| Sept 19 | 1805 |
| July 17 | 1806 |
| 1825 |
List of prisoners of the Peruvian Inquisition known to be accusing of Judaizing
Ana de Castro, La bella toledana (ca.1686 – December 23, 1736), was the most famous victim of the Lima Tribunal of the Inqusition.
The Peruvian Congress website reports that twenty three people were condemned to death for judaising between 1595 and 1736, ending in the famous case of Ana de Castro. The main purge seems to have been in 1639, just as Portugal was securing its independence from Spain. Presumably all or most of the ‘Portuguese’ listed below were Jews, and some of the ‘Spanish’.
A search on the words Peru and judaizante in the Spanish archives gave the following names. Of course, this is just a partial search.
| Name | Start Date |
| Manuel López | 1585 |
| Duarte Núñez de Cea | 1593 |
| Manuel Bautista Pérez | 1624 |
| Garci Méndez de Dueñas | 1625 |
| Diego de Ovalle | 1627 |
| Mencía de Luna | 1635 |
| Antonio Morón | 1635 |
| Francisco Vázquez | 1635 |
| Francisco de Vergara | 1642 |
| Juan de Loyola | 1749 |
| Agustín Ortíz | 1750 |
| Gregorio Rodríguez Nombela | 1750 |
| Antonio Garibaldo | 1760 |
| Rosa Argote | 1764 |
| Francisco Blanco | 1773 |
| José Fernández | 1775 |
| Juan Dorado | 1775 |
Genealogical Resources in Peru
Below are some relevant historic archives:
- Archivo General de Indias (AGI) – The AGI contains many records related to the administration of colonial Peru, including those of the Audiencia of Lima, which was the highest court in the region.
- Archivo Arzobispal de Lima (AAL) – The AAL contains a variety of records related to the Catholic Church in colonial Peru, including sacramental records, administrative records, and correspondence.
- Archivo General de la Nación del Perú (AGN) – The AGN contains a wide range of records related to colonial Peru, including those related to government administration, land titles, and indigenous communities.
- Biblioteca Nacional del Perú (BNP) – The BNP has a large collection of manuscripts and printed books related to colonial Peru, including those related to the Inquisition.
- Archivo Histórico del Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición en Lima (AHTSOI) – The AHTSOI contains the records of the Inquisition in Lima, including trials, investigations, and other administrative documents. This may be part of the BNP or Ministry of Culture.
Please support this page
If you have found this page on Peru useful, please consider making a small donation to support this site and my work.
Do you need a professional genealogist to work on your Sephardic genealogy? Click here.