Escaping Rumor in the Mexican Inquisition

abstract: This paper investigates the methodology of analyzing gossip and rumor in the Mexican Inquisition trial of the alleged Judaizer Simon Lopez de Aguarda in the 1640s. Through close reading of witness testimony and arrest orders, I challenge the idea that inquisitors had unquestionable evidence against individuals accused of heresy. Rather, these trials hinged on unreliable fama publica, or village gossip, transformed into what I term a "legal rumor": the selective and often creative synthesis of fama publica supporting in an arrest order. The contributions of Lopez's testimony written in his own handwriting is a unique feature of his trial that allows historians to see how the inquisition worked behind the scenes to distort witness testimony to produce a guilty verdict. The study of this trial suggests a new methodology for researching inquisition trials by following how narrative shifted throughout the procedures and how historians can engage with these rich but convoluted sources. abstract: This paper investigates the methodology of analyzing gossip and rumor in the Mexican Inquisition trial of the alleged Judaizer Simon Lopez de Aguarda in the 1640s. Through close reading of witness testimony and arrest orders, I challenge the misconception that inquisitors had unquestionable evidence against individuals accused of heresy. Rather, these trials hinged on unreliable fama publica, or village gossip, transformed into what I term a "legal rumor": the selective and often creative synthesis of fama publica supporting an arrest order. The contribution of Lopez's testimony, written in his own handwriting, is a unique feature of his trial that allows historians to see how the inquisition worked behind the scenes to distort witness testimony and produce a guilty verdict. The study of this trial suggests a new methodology for researching inquisition trials by following how narrative shifted throughout the procedures and how legal historians can engage with these rich but convoluted sources.