Obscene Books and Objects in New Spain during the Second Half of the 18th Century

Abstract

Obscene paintings and literature were forbidden by the Spanish Holy Office from the 16th to the early 19th centuries. Nevertheless, the analysis of various inquisitorial files proves that such censorship did not prevent their circulation in the viceroyalty of New Spain. The richness of those primary sources offers, in these pages, a panorama of the second half of the 18th century that comprises the owners, the uses and the characteristics of the works that were considered obscene by the inquisitorial authority.

Keywords

• inquisición
• obscenidad
• censura
• nueva españa
• literatura