The ignominy of Sodom: the case of Dr. Manuel Barros de San Millán as political weapon in the Viceroyalty of Peru at the end of the 16th century

• Autor: Mori Bolo, Giancarlo
• Formato: artículo
• Fecha de Publicación: 2020
• Institución: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
• Repositorio: Revistas - Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
• Lenguaje: español
• OAI Identifier: oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/23272
• Enlace del recurso: http://revistas.pucp.edu.pe/index.php/historica/article/view/23272
• Nivel de acceso: acceso abierto
• Materia: Manuel Barros; Sodomy; Masculinity; Sexuality; Quito; Alcabala; Sodomía; Masculinidad; Sexualidad

This article discusses the role of the sodomy trial of Dr. Manuel Barros de San Millán (1532-?), president of the Audiencia of Quito, in the political crisis triggered by the introduction of an alcabala tax at the end of the 16th century. Barros was an intransigent bureaucrat whose career was riddled with confrontations with other authorities in colonial Peru. Since his arrival in 1560, his tactlessness hindered his work and exposed him to different kinds of retribution. Against this backdrop, when his former slave claimed to have engaged in sodomitical practices with him, his enemies used the opportunity to attack him. The process against Barros for indulging in the unspeakable vice aimed at delegitimizing him politically by debasing his masculinity. In this way, his enemies succeeded in banishing him permanently from the Americas.