ABSTRACT
A popular view of the Moriscos was that they were all the same (‘todos son uno’), regardless of which part of the peninsula they lived in, what their relations had been with their Christian neighbors over many centuries, or their degree of assimilation to the majority culture. This chapter seeks to tease out the reality of the thousands of Moriscos who inhabited Spain in the early modern period to show that they were not all the same, that many were embarked on a journey toward assimilation, and that where they lived mattered in how far along this road they were by the time of the expulsions in 1609–1614. Issues that will be considered include ethnic cleansing, tolerance/intolerance, coexistence, assimilation, and integration, topics not so far removed from our own times and concerns.
