How to Tell Which is a Witch

La mesa de la bruja

While living in a new place its important to learn more about the local culture and history.  For this museums are just great, and Cartagena offers several beautiful buildings outfitted with a variety of historical artifacts and relevant information.  Recently, we visited the Palace of the Inquisition which is considered one the most significant constructinos of civil architecture in Colombia.  Built around 1770 this building was the center for the Spanish Inquisition in Cartagena, where witches, heretics, and other ‘sinners’ met the infamous torture devices hidden away in the dungeoun cellars. Over 600 of the accused met their end inside those walls. Today it is a museum with some of the torture devices on display, and the building itself is an amazing piece of work but knowing what happened there gives you a bit of a chill. 

Palace of the Inquisition, Cartagena

No One Escapes the Spanish Inquisition

Interior courtyard of the palace

So during their reign of terror the Spanish Inquisition used a variety of twisted and sadistic tools to convert protestants, slaughter indigenious indians, and interrogate witches about the details of their craft.

 As you will see from the following photos, they were some pretty sick bastards.

The twisted things people do for politics and religion.

Torture device to be worn around the neck. This instrument slowly killed the victim with gangrene caused by infection of the wounds around the neck.

The Rack. Used to tear limbs from their sockets and waterboarding prisoners by pouring pitchers of water down their throats.el Executioner

Apparently, Cartagena was full of witches back in the 17th Century.  It must have been a big problem because the Inquisition had some pretty detailed records on how to tell if someone was a witch, how to cast spells and encantations, and how to kill a witch.  The process for determing witches was pretty scientific.  They placed the witch onto a giant scale.  Depending on how much she weighed the tribunal could tell if a woman was a witch and how powerful a witch she may be.  If you were too light then you were a witch.

Recipe for a Witch's Brew

Ingredients for potions

Witchcraft paraphenlia

The interrogation process for finding out a witch was pretty bizarre as well.  Here is the standard list of questions the tribunal would put to the accused.

1. How long have you been a witch?
2. Why did you become a witch?
3. How did you become a witch and what happened on that occasion?
4. What is the name of your master amongst the evil spirits?
5. What is the oath that you had to render to him?
6. Under what terms did you become a witch?
7. Where did you celebrate your wedding?
8. What demons and people attended your wedding?
9. What kind of food did you eat at your wedding?
10. How was it served?
11. Did you sit at a table?
12. Was there music?
13. Did you dance?
14. What evils have you caused?
15. To who and why?
16. What children have you given the evil eye?
17. What animals have you cursed to die?
18. How do you fly?
19. Who taught you to fly?
20. What words do you say to fly?
21. Do you fly fast?
22. How do you make a witch’s brew?
23. What worms and catepillars have you created?

Alyson at the Rack

A beautiful place with an ugly history.

While the gallows and the guillotine are sufficient enough for mortal men witches have to be burned at the stake. Thats the only way to make sure. The museum had a guillotine erected in the courtyard. Alyson and I were going to take pictures with it, but neither of us were brave enough to put our heads through. It all seems ridiculous until your standing up there beneath that giant rusty blade. Not a good feeling.Playing chicken with the guillotine

Sticking our necks out

Courtyard

Alyson makes a friend with a demon

she's a witch!

While witchcraft was a major problem for these “exectuioners of justice” natrually political opponents to the Spanish crown were finding themselves on the cord as well. It was not until the revolution and Cartagena’s declaration of Independence on November 11th, 1811 that the Inquistion was put to a halt. Though it breifly resurfaced with the ironically named Pable Morillo the pacifier, the Inquisition was once and for all exciled when Simon Bolivar’s patriot army liberated the city from the Spanish in 1821.