Episode 178, Karoline Cook, Muslims & Moriscos in Colonial Spanish America

by Holly WhiteMarch 20, 2018

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In 1535, Spanish holdings in the Americas proved so great that the Spanish government created the Viceroyalty of New Spain to govern all territory north of the Isthmus of Panama.

The jurisdiction of New Spain included areas of upper and lower California and large areas of the American southwest and southeast, including Florida.

Karoline Cook, author of Forbidden Passages: Muslims and Moriscos in Colonial Spanish America, serves as our guide as we explore some of the political, cultural, and religious history of New Spain. Specifically, how Spaniards and Spanish Americans used ideas about Muslims and a group of “new Christian” converts called Moriscos to define who could and should be able to settle and help the Spanish colonies in North America.

About the Show

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

Each episode features a conversation with a historian who helps us shed light on important people and events in early American history.

Ben Franklin’s World is a production of the Omohundro Institute.

Episode Summary

Karoline Cook, author of Forbidden Passages: Muslims and Moriscos in Colonial Spanish America, serves as our guide as we explore some of the political, cultural, and religious history of New Spain. Specifically, how Spaniards and Spanish Americans used ideas about Muslims and a group of “new Christian” converts called Moriscos to define who could and should be able to settle and help the Spanish colonies in North America.

As we investigate who Spaniards thought should settle in New Spain, Karoline reveals details about the interactions that took place between Christians, Muslims, and Jews in Spain; Who the Moriscos were and how Spaniards defined this group; And, details about the everyday lives of Muslims and Moriscos in Spanish America during the 16th and 17th centuries and the challenges they faced because of their religious pasts.

What You’ll Discover

Interactions between Christians, Muslims, and Jews in Spain
Moriscos
The Spanish Inquisition
Records of the Inquisition
The Spanish Empire
The Spanish colonial mission in the Americas
How Spain’s religious goals impacted the ability of non-Christians to settle in Spanish America
Migration to Spanish America
How Muslims and Moriscos evaded prohibitions against their settlement in Spanish America
Moriscos as interpreters in Spanish America
Challenges faced by Moriscos living in Spanish America
Everyday life for Moriscos in Spanish America
Spanish use of stereotypes about Moriscos and Muslims
How Spanish stereotypes of Moriscos and Muslims influence views of Native Americans

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Time Warp Question

In your opinion, what might have happened if Spain had allowed Moriscos and Muslims to settle in Spanish America without any restrictions? How would the history of early America have been different?  