Ideology and Inquisition

"We like to think of the Spanish Inquisition as a well-oiled institution, efficiently stamping out dissent.  In a marvelously crafted study, Martin Nesvig shows the many fault lines in such an account. The shibboleths of the past give way to a nuanced narrative, painstakingly based on archival research. Nesvig demonstrates that in Mexico, the Inquisition was a rather inefficient repressive apparatus, constantly changing and constitutionally riddled by competing ideological agendas. Nesvig sheds abundant new light on the workings of (canon) law in the early modern Spanish Empire. The flexibility with which censure and the law were applied could well explain the longevity of the empire."—Jorge Cañizares-Esguerra, University of Texas at Austin -- Jorge Cañizares-Esguerra

"Nesvig seamlessly combines prosopography with intellectual, institutional, and social history of a very high caliber to provide a vivid portrait of inquisitional thinking, successes, and failures in early colonial Mexico."—Eric Van Young, University of California, San Diego

-- Eric Van Young
"A unique and thorough study of Inquisitional censors in the Mexican context."--Rebecca Price, Catholic Library World -- Rebecca Price * Catholic Library World *
"Nesvig's book is a most useful instrument for those interested in adopting new perspectives to the approach of supposedly well-known subjects."—Raquel Gutierrez Estupinan, Sixteenth Century Journal -- Raquel Gutierrez Estupinan * Sixteenth Century Journal *
"Erudite, thought-provoking, and meticulously researched."—Amos Megged, The Americas -- Amos Megged * The Americas *