Abstract

This article addresses a little-known facet of colonial confraternities in the viceroyalty of Peru. It deals with the work they carried out inside the prisons, specifically in the city of Lima, where they took on the physical and spiritual care of the incarcerated. By examining historical documents and studying 16th century theology, we are able to establish certain aspects of daily life in prison, while paying close attention to how the notion of purgatory is articulated as a guiding principle for the care of prisoners/sinners.