The Holy Inquisition was established in 1478 in Spain and later expanded to its colonies, including New Spain in the Americas under the protection of the Spanish Crown and the Catholic Church . Its primary goal was to enforce religious conformity and combat heresy, and it exercised strong ideological and religious control for almost 300 years. In its quest to preserve Catholic orthodoxy, it persecuted and punished hundreds of people, particularly among those who had converted to Christi...