The Acquisition Trial Of Juan Luis

1083 Words5 Pages

The Inquisition Trial of Juan Luis in Xochimilco, Mexico in 1598 offers valuable insights into the beliefs and customs of the people during that era. On August 28th, he was arrested bec ause he was found counjuring spells. The denoucation adn testimonies influenced the church and Christians in the town.The Church during this time greatly is very suspicious and overbearing as Juan Luis explains his case and answer the questions he is asked. Additionally, the magistrate's commitment to pursuing justice adds to the intrigue and gravity surrounding the trial. During that time, people held deep fears of the unknown, demonic, and supernatural. One particular aspect of the text that may strike us as surprising, strange, and even bizarre is the belief …show more content…

Within an hour, Luis had found the handkerchief in the house of Francisca de Sotomayor, a widow residing in Xochimilco. The handkerchief was discovered by a girl who then handed it to her brother, Geronimo de Soto. Making Alonso de Nava and Andrés de Ordas concerned as to how that was possible. Immediately, their first thought was that Juan Luis had made a pact with the devil and demonic practices, because there is not other reasonable explanation as to how Juan Luis is “capable” of doing such …show more content…

This suggests that these encounters or stories of people having a connection or workshop with the devil was not unheard of or unusual during that era, it was just generally looked down upon because that person would be punished not only by the Church but by God. The ability to control the weather or locate lost items would have been highly improbable and dismissed as mere coincidences or trickery. However, it is important to acknowledge that the allegations against Luis may not be entirely accurate, as the testimonies of the witnesses were based on hearsay and personal biases. The magistrate himself acknowledges that he arrested Luis based on information received from others rather than personal

Open Document