The Spanish Inquisition in Manila: Faith, Fear, and Empire

While the Goa Inquisition is infamous, the Spanish Inquisition in the Philippines operated with its own brutal efficiency. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how the Tribunal of the Holy Office in Manila enforced Catholic orthodoxy from 1583 onward. They discuss the arrival of the first inquisitor, the case of a Chinese merchant burned for sorcery, and the tensions between Augustinian and Dominican friars. The conversation covers the role of the Parián, the Chinese district of Manila, as a target of inquisitorial scrutiny, and how accusations of 'judaizing' dogged Portuguese merchants in the Spanish colony. They also examine the complex relationship between the Inquisition and the encomienda system, where native Filipinos were often caught between indigenous beliefs and colonial repression. The episode touches on the 1599 auto-da-fé in Manila, the controversy over whether Filipinos could be considered 'rational beings' worthy of the Inquisition's protections, and the eventual decline of the tribunal in the 18th century. A vivid portrait of a lesser-known arm of Spanish colonial power. #SpanishInquisition #Manila #Philippines #Colonialism #History #FexingoHistory #AutoDaFe #Parian #Augustinians #Dominicans #Encomienda #Judaizing #Sorcery #Tribunal #Catholicism #SpanishEmpire #16thCentury #17thCentury Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo