The accused would have their hands tied behind their back, similar in nature to modern-day handcuffing. The use of the strappado or Corda had three variations. Below are several torture methods used during the Spanish Inquisition in the New World. When it finally ended in the nineteenth century, its authoritative power had greatly subsided.

The Inquisition began in the fifteenth century and was brutally harsh. The Inquisition in Spain looked different from the Inquisition in New Spain, Peru, New Granada, or Rio de la Plata. If they refused to confess, they were tortured until officials heard a confession. If they confessed, their punishment was not too harsh. When a person violated the important teachings of Christianity, the Inquisition Tribunal would charge them as a heretic. At the same time of these decrees, Spain had claimed much of the New World for itself and began a process of spreading Christianity over thousands of miles.Ĭharges of heresy were serious offenses. Royal decrees issued in 14 demanded that all Jews and Muslims convert to Christianity or leave Spain. Initially, it was created to ensure orthodoxy from those Christians that had converted from Judaism and Islam. Commonly referred to as the Spanish Inquisition, all of Spain and its colonies in Europe and the Americas fell under its authority.

Ferdinand and Isabella, the Spanish Catholic monarchs, established the Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition in 1478.

Brutal heretic