<P> The Spanish Crown regulated immigration to its overseas colonies, with travelers required to register with the House of Trade in Seville . Since the crown wished to exclude anyone who was non-Christian (Jews, crypto - Jews, and Muslims) passing as Christian, travelers' backgrounds were vetted . The ability to regulate the flow of people enabled the Spanish Crown to keep a grip on the religious purity of its overseas empire . The Spanish Crown was rigorous in their attempt to allow only Christians passage to the New World and required proof of religion by way of personal testimonies . Specific examples of individuals dealing with the Crown allow for an understanding of how religion affected passage into the New World . </P> <P> Francisca de Figueroa, an African - Iberian woman seeking entrance into the Americas, petitioned the Spanish Crown in 1600 in order to gain a license to sail to Cartagena . On her behalf she had a witness attest to her religious purity, Elvira de Medina wrote, "this witness knows that she and parents and her grandparents have been and are Old Christians and of unsullied cast and lineage . They are not of Moorish or Jewish caste or of those recently converted to Our Holy Catholic Faith ." Despite Francisca's race, she was allowed entrance into the Americas in 1601 when a' Decree from His Majesty' was presented, it read, "My presidents and official judges of the Case de Contraction of Seville . I order you to allow passage to the Province of Cartagena for Francisca de Figueroa ..." This example points to the importance of religion when attempting to travel to the Americas during colonial times . Individuals had to work within the guidelines of Christianity in order to appeal to the Crown and be granted access to travel . </P> <P> Once in the New World, religion was still a prevalent issue which had to be considered in everyday life . Many of the laws were based in religious beliefs and traditions and often these laws clashed with the many other cultures throughout colonial Latin America . One of the central clashes was between African and Iberian cultures; this difference in culture resulted in the aggressive prosecution of witches, both African and Iberian, throughout Latin America . According to European tradition "(a) witch--a bruja--was thought to reject God and the sacraments and instead worship the devil and observe the witches' Sabbath ." This rejection of God was seen as an abomination and was not tolerated by the authorities either in Spain nor Latin America . A specific example, the trial of Paula de Eguiluz, shows how an appeal to Christianity can help to lessen punishment even in the case of a witch trial . </P> <P> Paula de Eguiluz was a woman of African descent who was born in Santo Domingo and grew up as a slave, sometime in her youth she learned the trade of witches and was publicly known to be a sorceress . "In 1623, Paula was accused of witchcraft (brujeria), divination and apostasy (declarations contrary to Church doctrine)." Paula was tried in 1624 and began her hearings without much knowledge of the Crowns way of conducting legal proceedings . There needed to be appeals to Christianity and announcements of faith if an individual hoped to lessen the sentence . Learning quickly, Paula correctly "recited the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, the Salve Regina, and the Ten Commandments" before the second hearing of her trial . Finally, in the third hearing of the trial Paula ended her testimony by "ask (ing) Our Lord to forgive (me) for these dreadful sins and errors and requests...a merciful punishment ." The appeals to Christianity and profession of faith allowed Paula to return to her previous life as a slave with minimal punishment . The Spanish Crown placed a high importance on the preservation of Christianity in Latin America, this preservation of Christianity allowed colonialism to rule Latin America for over three hundred years . </P>

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