Water Torture: Interrogatorio mejorado del agua or toca
Theatrical images of someone having their head held under water to encourage a confession pay homage to toca. In modern times, this would be referred to as waterboarding. During the Spanish Inquisition it was also called interrogatorio mejorado del agua. The idea behind it was to make the accused feel as if they were drowning. The techniques used for toca were different from place to place. Because the Spanish Inquisition, and the accompanying Mexican Inquisition in the New World, traversed so much territory, it also had to adapt to local cultures. What worked in Madrid, for example, may not have worked on people in the Andes.
The accused would lay on his or her back and be strapped to a board. Securing the ankles, wrists, arms, and legs was essential to prevent the accused from thrashing around. Once secured, a rag or some type of cloth would be inserted into the mouth. Officials of the tribunal would then pour water over the rag, mimicking the sensation of drowning.
This technique would be repeated, sometimes for days, until confessions came forth. Breathing would become increasingly difficult as the torture increased in frequency. At first, the accused would be given enough time to catch their breath after the toca. If no confession came, the length of water pouring would increase while the breaks for breath would decrease. Death was a distinct possibility.
Reports from those that witnessed toca would describe the horrors of watching a person lose consciousness from the lungs filling with water. Just hearing about toca would be enough for some to willingly confess to sins or surrender information without ever being charged with any crimes. Spanish officials willingly and repeatedly used eye-witness accounts of toca to prevent the spread of heretics.