Abstract

There have been numerous case studies of prison graffiti produced in the Spanish Empire. Most publish archaeological findings; only a few approach them as historical testimony that may provide a series of information about those who produced them and the times they lived in. However, none have undertaken an overview covering all the territories held by the Spanish crown during the 16th -18th centuries. This paper aims to do so by piecing together the evidence collected to date in order to draw some general conclusions about the reasons that drove prisoners to write and draw on the walls of their prisons.