S8E3: Nobody Expects the Philippine Inquisition!
About this episode
This episode explores the Philippine Inquisition and its investigations into various religious and superstitious practices.
When you pulled up to the dock, they were there waiting for you, those holy men of God. But beyond inspecting ships that docked in the ports of Manila and Cavite for blasphemers and banned items, the Inquisition in the Philippines also investigated Protestants. Jews. Masons. Muslims. Non-Catholic Christian sects, like Armenian Christians or Jansenists. Its investigators monitored cases of heresy, blasphemy, apostasy, bigamy, and contempt. They kept tabs on witches, sorcerers, palm readers, fortune tellers, astrologers, and peddlers of superstition. And they dutifully recorded all their investigations and sent them to their head office in Mexico. What tales can we uncover from these inquisitorial files? And what do they say about the practice of faith in our archipelago? Support the podcast: patreon.com/thecolonialdept Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdept Follow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdept Email us: thecolonialdept@gmail.com References: Galleons and Social Control in the Spanish Empire: The Contrabandistas: Defenders of “Free Trade” on the Manila-Acapulco Galleons, Volume IV. (2025) National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Angeles, F. Delor (1980) "The Philippine…
More episodes of The Colonial Department
- S8E2: Riding a Tram in 1911 Manila
- INTERVIEW: Exploring the food history of the Philippines
- S8E1: The Philippine Sour-chipelago
- An important announcement about the future of The Colonial Dept.
- INTERVIEW: Twin timelines, entangled histories
- INTERVIEW: Sungka as a wargame?
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Colonial Department podcast page.