Which city housed the Spanish Inquisition tribunal established for Peru in 1570? Lima housed it.
The Peruvian Inquisition was established on 9 January 1570, with its tribunal located in Lima, the administrative capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru. It was one of the Spanish Crown’s major colonial inquisitorial courts, alongside the tribunal in Mexico City and, later, the one in Cartagena.
Lima’s position made it a practical center for supervising religious orthodoxy across much of Spanish South America. The tribunal investigated accusations involving heresy, Protestantism, Judaism, blasphemy, bigamy, and prohibited religious practices. Indigenous people were generally outside its formal jurisdiction, while Spaniards, foreigners, and other colonial groups could be prosecuted.
The Peruvian Inquisition operated until 1820. It is often confused with the tribunals at Mexico City or Cartagena, but those served different colonial jurisdictions. Quito was an important colonial city, yet it did not house the principal Spanish Inquisition tribunal for the Viceroyalty of Peru.