Blood purity in Spain and Mexico

Discrimination is the most enduring scourge in human psychohistory. In some eras it was more pronounced than in the so-called Age of Discovery. As European kingdoms colonized regions around the world, they began to pick on the traits and customs of the people they encountered. They also entrenched their own prejudices, convinced that European culture and Christianity were superior to others. This is the context in which the following doctrine applies. Limpieza de sangre (“purity of blood”) originated in 15th century Spain. In the face of demographic change and territorial expansion, Spanish society developed a hierarchical system of privileges based on religious affiliation and genealogy.

of Reconquista and birth Limpieza de sangre

In the mid-15th century, Spain was not a unified country. Instead, it was a collection of primarily autonomous kingdoms with occasional alliances. As the 15th century progressed, two of these kingdoms, Castile and Aragon, established themselves as the dominant powers of the Iberian Peninsula. The unified state of Spain actually came into existence after the wedding of Ferdinand II and Isabel I in 1469. The newly married “Catholic monarch” immediately set out on a mission to take back the area from the local Muslims. By 1493 this goal would be achieved.

Muslim Spain was a multi-religious society. Christians, Jews, and Muslims all called the Iberian Peninsula home. They lived primarily within their own communities, but sometimes interacted for trade. When Isabella and Ferdinand conquered the region, they faced the reality of governing a religiously divided country. Monarchs who were loyal to the Roman Catholic Church wanted to impose religious unity within their territories. Muslims and Jews were given three options: convert to Catholicism, leave Spain, or die.

Many Muslims and Jews obeyed the royal decree and became Catholics, at least nominally.some of these moriscos and Conversos (respectively) successful in business and occupied previous important roles.Reconquista society. Between this wealth and long-standing Christian theological prejudices, Spanish Catholics resented their Muslim and Jewish neighbors.

doctrine of Limpieza de sangre It came to dominate discourse during this period of conquest and religious turmoil. Clergy and officials promoted the idea of ​​a religious hierarchy based on blood. At the top of this hierarchy were the “old Christians,” or Spaniards who could trace their family’s Catholic faith as far back as possible.There are many moriscos and Conversos They were believed to have tainted their bloodline with Muslim or Jewish ancestry, although they had actually become devout Catholics. No matter how devoted they are to the Catholic Church, these “new Christians” are always inferior to those with established Christian lineages.

Why are blood and lineage so important in Spain? To answer this question, we need to delve into the place of Christianity in the foundation of early modern Spanish life.

Blood, Rebirth, and Betrayal in Spanish Christianity

Today, Western society is known for its individualistic ways, but this was not the case in the 15th and 16th centuries. Social unity was far more important than individual identity. The core of a person’s social identity was family and religion. Blood was definitely important in the Spanish concept of individuality and community.

But why was blood so important in pre-modern Spain? Much of this can be traced through Catholic Christianity. According to the teachings of the Church, Jesus Christ shed his blood for the salvation of mankind. The church also supported the doctrine of transubstantiation, the idea that the Eucharist and sacramental wine literally become the “body and blood” of Jesus during Holy Communion. Other Christian denominations interpret “Body and Blood” in a more allegorical manner, but this does not diminish the importance of blood for Christianity’s most important figures.

Of the Abrahamic religions, Christianity is the only one that celebrates the status of blood in this way. As Rachel L. Burke explains, the holy books of Islam and Judaism clearly prohibit the ingestion of blood or blood products (Burk, 2010). In addition to its importance to Christian theology, ordinary Europeans encountered blood everywhere they went. Death, whether human or animal, occupied almost every space in pre-modern Europe. Blood in Spanish culture had both medical and symbolic meanings.

One of the big reasons is Limpieza de sangre A very strong focus in pre-modern Spain was also connected to anti-Jewish prejudice. Christians at the time commonly interpreted the Bible to mean that the Jews were responsible for the execution (suicide) of Christ. This was true throughout Europe. Islam was condemned for a variety of reasons, but like Judaism, it was seen as a threat to the one true faith in Jesus Christ.

Limpieza de sangre and the inquisition

Limpieza de sangre It was a social doctrine, but more than that it was a legal doctrine. Statutes from 1449 onward demonstrate Spanish Christian prejudice against Iberian Jews. Clergy and government officials described Jews in stereotypical terms. The forced conversion of thousands of Jews to Catholicism only strengthened the conspiracy theory. These “cursed” people now became enemies within the Christian faith and, by extension, enemies of the state.

As a baptized Catholic, Conversos (onwards moriscos, likewise) was placed under the jurisdiction of the Spanish Inquisition. The Inquisition was founded in 1478, but scholars disagree about its original purpose. However, over time, it clearly became a means for the Spanish crown to enforce religious orthodoxy. To obtain a position in the Inquisition or in the government, candidates had to present their evidence. Limpieza de sangre. In the Spanish archives there is a long record of Inquisition testimony regarding: Limpieza de sangresupported by genealogical research.

Blood Purity in the New World: The Case of Mexico

The 16th century would witness Spain’s most daring geopolitical feat: the conquest of the Americas.spanish monarchy and conqueror Establishing the most important world empire of the time. As colonial rule became stronger, Limpieza de sangre It was imported to legitimize religious and ethnic hierarchies. Nowhere was this more evident than in Mesoamerica, especially New Spain (now Mexico).

The authorities established the Mexican Inquisition in 1571, headed by Inquisitor Diego de Espinosa. Espinosa previously wrote a guidebook on how to judge candidates for the position of Inquisitor. Limpieza de sangre (Cuchak, 2012). but, Limpieza de sangre In the Mesoamerican context, it did not necessarily mean the same thing as it did in Europe. It was tailored to the dramatically different demographic and cultural realities of New Spain.

The most important of Spain’s colonies in North America, Mexico was arguably the center of the Spanish Empire. Although Mesoamerican indigenous peoples were greatly reduced after the Spanish conquest, they still maintained a large presence. Spanish settlers were soon joined by enslaved Africans. By the 17th century, small numbers of Southeast Asians also began arriving via the Spanish port city of Nueva.If the Spanish authorities wish to maintain Limpieza de sangreits scope should be expanded.

casta Painting: Classification of colonial society

In some areas, Limpieza de sangre It became mainstream in Mexican art in the 18th century. During the Enlightenment in Europe and Mexico City, elite Spanish painters devoted themselves to classifying the ethnic composition of colonial society. Spanish-born elites and Mexican-born Spaniards alike wanted to prove themselves. Limpieza de sangre. Their solution was later casta Painting. (casta (means “bloodline” in Spanish).

casta The paintings offer an interesting glimpse into the artistic trends of New Spain, especially in the 18th century. Spanish painters made painstaking efforts to create a taxonomy of interracial unions in their works. For example, a child born to a Spanish man and an indigenous Mexican woman mestizo/Mestiza. Children born to mixed-race parents were given even more specific labels.In colonial Mexico, people Limpieza de sangre They have evolved to depend on how much indigenous or African ancestry they have. No other region of the Spanish Empire was so obsessed with racial and ethnic classification.

I still did it casta Do the paintings reflect the reality of interethnic marriage in colonial Mexico? Apparently not. There is no way to know how the multiethnic New Spanish population perceived themselves. Several terms are used in Inquisition and government records. casta Painting, but not in a standardized way. Instead, the term used in casta Paintings reflect artistic and elite interests. Limpieza de sangre In colonial life.

Limpieza de sangre: An example of early modern racism?

the history of Limpieza de sangre It is a history of discrimination. It originated in Spain as a legal and religious method of converting Jews and Muslims to Christianity. And in Mexico, it evolved to focus on ethnic or racial mixing. A question arises here.Why not consider it? Limpieza de sangre As a precursor to modern racism?

That’s hard to say. Limpieza de sangre This definitely shows that the history of discrimination has turned into a more substantive form of hatred. But it seems overly simplistic to classify it as the same kind of hatred that led to atrocities like the Holocaust. Spain’s colonial elites may have insisted on racial classification, but they lacked the logistical means to control ethnic mixing everywhere. Complete social control was impossible.

So it was Limpieza de sangre A kind of primitive racism? That argument may certainly hold true. But it may be too dramatic to equate it with the pseudoscientific racism of the 19th and 20th centuries. Instead, Limpieza de sangre It should be studied in the context in which it was formed and evolved.

References

Chuciak IV, John F., eds. The Inquisition of New Spain, 1536-1820: Documentary History. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012.

Martinez, Maria Elena. Genealogical Fiction: Limpieza de Sangre, Religion, and Gender in Colonial Mexico. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2008.