Inner peace and the testament. The testar as liberating act, seventeenth century

This article brings us closer to understanding the nature of the colonial will, describing it and analyzing its internal structure; the study also examines the process of creating the will itself, not only as a notarial convention, but also as a religious act, the final opportunity to save one's soul for eternity and liberate one's conscience of life's earthly burdens, all of which reflect that the making of a will itself was a liberating act. The research for this work combines qualitative and quantitative methods, with a sample of 50 registered wills from seventeenth-century Santafe. The use of complementary sources leads to an improved understanding of the nature of dying during the period and the reasons behind the making of a will.