This engaging and well-constructed book examines the multiple social uses of blasphemy in Mexico from 1520 to 1700. Beginning with a discussion of the meaning of transgressive speech against God and the Catholic pantheon of saints in the conquest and early years of empire, the author moves on to treat the role such offenses played in the formation of race, class, and gender identity in the colony. The book’s two most substantive chapters are devoted to a discussion of the uses of blasphemy among Spanish men, by far the most frequent offenders. Shorter chapters treat blasphemy among women and slaves. Though the author draws on multiple sources, including confession manuals, sermons, and legal codes, the primary basis for this social history are some two hundred Inquisition cases. These cases Villa-Flores has successfully mined; vibrant, frequently disturbing, and sometimes humorous examples jump out from every page. The personalities and the circumstances...

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