Inquisition of Puerto Rico........

In 1513, Bishop Manso became the first Provincial Inquisitador. Diego Torres Vargas explains in his memoirs, "Manso was made inquisitador, and he, being the first, may be said to have been the Inquisitador-General of the Indies;...the delinquents were brought from all parts to be burned and punished here..." ("The History of Puerto Rico" D. Appleton and company, 1903). The sinners were not tied to a stake but captured in a hollow plaster cast, in which they were roasted instead of burned.

There is only a few recorded incidents of the Tribunal the rest of the records of the Inquisitador had been destroyed. One being Licentiate Sancho Velasquez, whom was the first to die in a dungeon for speaking againt Catholic faith and eating meat during Lent. After the West Indian Superior Tribunal was sent to Cartagena, the only thing left in Puerto Rico a subordinate judge.

February 22, a decree with a manifesto created, "The true religion which we profess is the greatest blessing which God has bestowed on the Spanish people; we do not recognize as Spaniards those who do not profess it...It is the surest support of all private and social virtues, of fidelity to the laws and to the monarch, of the love of the country and of just liberty, which are impelled you to battle with the hosts of usurper, vanquishing and annihilating them, while braving hunger and nakedness, torture, and death." ("The History of Puerto Rico" D. Appleton and company, 1903).

The Tribunal process was first, when an accusation was made the accused was sent to a prison in which they had no contact with family members until it was either resolved or condemned. The accused was no able any assistance from any family member and the name of the accuser was never revealed. Through this process, the accused was either proclaimed to either confess or deny the accusation and that would constitute how the punishment would be assessed.

The Inquisition "was introduced under the pretext of restraining the Moors and Jews, who were obnoxious to the Spanish people, and who found protection in their financial relations with the most illustrous families of the kingdom. Religion demanded it as a protection, and the people permitted it, though not without strong protest. " ("The History of Puerto Rico" D. Appleton and company, 1903).

Sources:

Middeldyk, Rudolph and Brumbaugh/ Martin. " The History of Puerto Rico: From the Spanish Discovery to the American Occupation." D. Appleton and company (1903).