Flood and fire of the Augustinians of Santiago of Chile and the commissioner of the Inquisition, between local and viceregal actors. A view from the history of law and social history (16th century)

Abstract

The role played by the Inquisition in Chile was not limited to initiating the indictments against the suspicious of heresy, in addition, and like the other overseas institutions of the Hispanic Monarchy, it reflected the political, social and cultural events that occurred within their jurisdictional spaces. This last work has been poorly analyzed until now because historiography has given preponderancie to its specific role, to safeguard the faith, analizing in detail who was subjected to processes, under which charges and how they were punished. However, based on a legal and social perspective, we will give an account of the vigilant and contributing role to the "good government" of the commissioner of the Inquisition of Santiago de Chile. Based on the analysis of a series of historical records, the flood and subsequent fire –both malicious acts– that affected the Augustinians of Santiago de Chile in 1595 will be analyzed. Fort he above, this article analyzes the flood and fire that this Order suffered, linked to the circulation of information, conflicts among religious orders, how this kind of crime was regulated by canon law and how was the acting of the commissioner of the Inquisition of Santiago of Chile before the disastrous events.