Judíos o cristianos?: el proceso de fe Sancta Inquisitio

Describes the structure and methods of the Spanish Inquisition. Ch. 4 (p. 143-183), "Cristianos nuevos portugueses ante el Santo Oficio", focuses on the situation of Portuguese Conversos in Spain between 1643-1730. The secession of Portugal from Spain in 1640, the fall of the Conde de Olivares in 1643, and the general decadence of the country resulted in changes in the tolerant policy of the Spanish Crown toward the influential Portuguese Conversos, allowing the Inquisition to impose a policy of persecuting heterodoxy. Many Conversos were imprisoned or executed, and their property confiscated. A great number emigrated to other countries, resulting in the disappearance of this social group as a relevant factor in Spanish society. States that it is impossible to know from the Inquisitorial documents if the Conversos actually committed the offenses they were accused of.