Inventer et réinventer l’identité : les bigames du Centre-Nord de la nouvelle-Espagne (XVIIIe siècle)

During the Early Modern Period, the crime of bigamy was considered as a terrible sin, in peninsular and American societies alike. For this very reason, each trial and investigation led by the Inquisition were the focus of a strong interest, especially when it was necessary to establish with certainty the accused’s identity. Such a detailed-oriented attention is a wonderful opportunity for the historian who seek to understand the dynamics of identities and categories in the Spanish colonial society. Indeed, the trials we examined follow a common organization. First, we can read the informer’s declaration, and the precise identification of the person suspected of the crime of bigamy. This is followed by the suspect’s declaration in which they identify themselves and relate their personal history. Finally, each witness adds another description and identification of the suspect. Therefore, these documents are ideal supports when one wants to focus on social categories and their elaboration. Not only can we study the way the bigamists tend to exploit racial categories and use them as tools in the reinvention of their identity, but also the great ambiguity of those categories in the people’s minds when they need to mobilize them and describe the suspect