PORTUGUESE INQUISITION IN THE LAND OF BAHIA OF ALL SAINTS

Abstract

Documentation on the inquisition theme has been more used by researchers who work with colonial history, as it is a voluminous collection, very well maintained and extremely rich of information not only related to the actions of the Portuguese Holy Office, but, for the related testimonials of daily life, personal and family relationships, as well as political, economic, cultural and religious aspects. In this article we intend to show the importance of inquisitorial sources for the understanding of the first century of colonization in Bahia, especially in relation to inquisitorial processes, the first visitation in Portuguese America, and the records of correspondence exchanged between inquisitors of the Court of Lisbon  authorities in Bahia in the transition from the 16th to the 17th century.