Truth in Many Tongues: Religious Conversion and the Languages of the Early Spanish Empire

Truth in Many Tongues by Daniel I.

Wasserman-Soler is a groundbreaking book that sheds light on how the Spanish monarchy managed an empire of unprecedented linguistic diversity during the 16th century.

This comprehensive study challenges the assumption that the pervasiveness of the Spanish language resulted from deliberate linguistic colonization, offering a more nuanced understanding of Church and Crown officials' policies and strategies.

Through meticulous research drawing from inquisition reports, royal and ecclesiastical correspondence, and other primary sources, Wasserman-Soler reveals a highly practical mentality that considered each context carefully before deciding what would bring more souls into the Catholic Church.

This book will fascinate students and scholars of early modern Spain, colonial Latin America, Christian-Muslim relations, and early modern Catholicism.