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One of the most controversial organizations in history, the Spanish Inquisition has been poorly understood by the general public. This period of religious persecution, which took place between 1478 and 1834, has historically been shrouded in myth and misconceptions. For despite popular belief, this organization was neither medieval nor exclusively Spanish in nature. Read The Spanish Inquisition: The Truth Behind the Black Legend (Part I). Embarking of the Moriscos at Valencia, by Pere Oromig. ( Public domain ) The Treatment of the Moors During the Spanish Inquisition The Spanish Inquisition was a dark chapter in history that saw the persecution not only of Jewish converts, but also of the Moriscos, a term used for baptized Moors. These Moorish converts from

One of the most controversial organizations in history, the Spanish Inquisition has been poorly understood by the general public. This period of religious persecution, which took place between 1478 and 1834, has historically been shrouded in myth and misconceptions. For despite popular belief, this organization was neither medieval nor exclusively Spanish in nature. Exploring the Roots of the Spanish Inquisition Death at the stake was a common form of punishment, dating back to the days of the Roman Empire. With the progressive Christianization of Europe, heresy was seen as the ultimate betrayal –not just to the state but to God himself – and thus a treasonable offense. The Catholic Church set up the first inquisition, named the Episcopal Inquisition, in

When most people hear about the Blair witch, images come to mind of a horror film which was released in 1999 with a very low production budget. The movie was directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez and it was so successful that it spread across the world. However, Sánchez and Myrick based their production on a legend about a woman who many people claim was real: Elly Kedward. What did Elly do for her to be called a witch? What terrible events are said to have occurred in the last 300 years in certain forests of Maryland, USA? What is the origin of the curse connected to an infamous witch? The Rise of the Blair Witch It seems that

An unexpected discovery awaited workers as they began to build a new underground garage near a cemetery wall in the Swiss town of Schüpfen: the subsoil was full of human skeletons. They were actually warned that something like this could happen because it was known that the plot of land was used as a burial ground in the Middle Ages. In fact, archaeologists located up to 342 bodies at the site dating from the 8th-17th centuries. But the Spanish newspaper ABC explains that neither workers nor researchers were prepared to discover the remains of a man who was placed face down in his grave a little away from the other burials. They found a knife and the remains of a

Chuquitanta or El Paraíso (The Paradise) are the modern names for a monumental archaeological complex located in the Chillon River valley, several kilometers north of downtown Lima and dated to the Late Archaic Period (3500-1800 BC). More specifically, different radiocarbon dates place the site to between the years 2300 and 1400 BC. Discovered in 1950 by Louis Stumer, it was Thomas C. Patterson and Edward P. Lanning who, in 1964, managed to identify about nine structures and labelled it as a preceramic site. A year later, in 1965, Frederic Engel conducted explorations and excavations at the site and identified another 8 buildings scattered over a large area, so he defined the site as a great architectural complex and one of

Peruvian legends speak of a lonely and hungry woman who unleashed her fury against the sun. The star was moved by her situation, and ‘fertilized’ her with its rays. Four days later, the woman gave birth to a boy whose birth generated a series of events related to the appearance a new coastal civilization. But the boy awoke the wrath of the Inca god Pachacamac, “creator of the earth” who abducted him to kill him and tear him apart. However, seeing the mother’s grief, Pachacamac buried the boy’s remains and made ​​it so that the burial incited the emergence of various fruits and food. Thus, the mother would not go hungry ever again, somewhat easing her pain. But he was

More than 600 years ago the ancient Incas built a village in the Andes on the rocky outcrop that links the mountains Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu, at an altitude of 2,490 meters (8169.29 ft.) It is a town whose original name would have been Llaqtapata, which is known today as Machu Picchu. Less than a month ago, Ancient Origins reported the latest discovery found on the walls of natural stone at the incomparable Machu Picchu: rock paintings that could mean an unexpected turn in the knowledge of Machu Picchu's history. Now, four weeks later, experts have been able to confirm that the historic sanctuary of Machu Picchu, nestled between towering Andean fog covered peaks almost all year, hides numerous

The archaeological site of Empúries (Ampurias), located in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain, is a unique site in the Iberian Peninsula which contains both the ruins of a Greek city -the colonial enclave of Emporion, founded in 575 BC - and a larger, later Roman city which took over from the intermediate Roman military camps. This special mix of time periods gives the archaeological site a privileged role in the understanding of the evolution of Greek and Roman urban sites at the edge of the Mediterranean thousands of years ago. According to data provided by Canal Patrimonio (Canal Heritage), an International Archaeology Course is organized for this site each year. Although this activity has been enriching knowledge of the

About 30 Pre-Hispanic perfume or incense burners (sahumadores) have been discovered by archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) at the historic site of Cuautitlan in Mexico. The artifacts have polychrome handles and are completed at one end with snakeheads with open mouths - representations of Xiuhcoatl "the fiery serpent." Several graves have been uncovered in the same area since last April. The team of researchers has also unearthed the foundations of what appears to be an ancient temple. On the INAH website, archaeologists Francisco Antonio Osorio Dávila and Héctor Pérez García explained that these objects, which were discovered in mid-May in front of the municipal market, had a ritual use and were deposited in rows that

The administration of Ancient Egypt was a complex and perfectly organized system in which there were many grades of officials: from simple scribes and copyists to the highest officialdom represented with similar roles as current ministers. Topping them all was the Chaty (or Taty), commonly known as ‘Vizier’, a figure that already existed in the First Dynasty. There were alterations to the Chaty’s responsibilities over the years, but one never changed – as the Administrator of Justice. As such, the vizier was in charge of delivering justice and appointing judges. In fact, the position of Chaty was one of the highest ranking in ancient Egypt: he met with the king several times a day and the king delegated certain functions