Researching the Spanish archives can be something of a nightmare. The archives are not well-organised, little is digitised and – over the centuries – large parts have been lost. In particular, Napoleon transported the Inquisition archives to France. Much was returned, but much was also destroyed.
You need a research strategy.
PARES (Portal de Archivos Españoles) is the main online catalogue, but not the most user-friendly.
The physical archives of the Suprema of the Inquisition, and much else, is held in the Archivo General de Simancas.
Tribunals in peninsula Spain included:
- Toledo (established in 1483)
- Córdoba (established in 1483)
- Sevilla (established in 1481)
- Jaén (established in 1483)
- Zaragoza (established in 1484)
- Valencia (established in 1485)
- Barcelona (established in 1487)
- Murcia (established in 1574)
- Cuenca (established in 1583)
- Logroño (established in 1610)
- Granada (established in 1569)
Overseas Tribunals included:
- Las Palmas (established in 1481 in the Canary Islands)
- Mexico (established in 1571)
- Lima (established in 1570)
- Cartagena de Indias (established in 1610)
- Goa (established in 1560 in India)
- Oran (established in 1504 in North Africa)
A number of catalogues of Inquisition processos – including for those accused of judaising have been collected. These include:
Cuenca. Catálogo del Archivo de la Inquisición de Cuenca by Antonio Pérez García. Madrid : Fundación Universitaria Española, 1982.
Córdoba: Colección de los Autos generales celebrados por el tribunal de la Inquisición de Córdoba
Murcia: Catálogo de procesos inquisitoriales del Tribunal del Santo Oficio de Murcia
The Junta de Andalucia lists archives in their region.
As well as the catalogues, you can often find other useful documents online. Here are some examples:
Relacion histórica del auto general de Fe: Que se celebró en Madrid esto año de 1680
Instrucciones del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición, sumariamente, antiguas y nuevas
The map below shows the administrative divisions of Spain in 1757. It is worth emphasising that Spain was (and maybe is) more of a patchwork of identities, languages and loyalties that the unified state that we foreigners see from the outside. The Kingdom of Aragon had its own parliament and spoke Catalan. The Basques in the north had their own identity and language. The Galicians in the northwest were remote – except for visitors by sea – and had their own language. Navarre and Leon had existed as independent kingdoms. Even in Castilian (Spanish) speaking Spain there were different dialects. Individual cities also had their own rights to defend. Local identity – and the defence of traditional laws and privileges – were hugely important.
