The terms Conversos, Crypto-Jews, and Marranos are names applied to Jews in the Iberian Peninsula who were caught up in the nightmare of the Spanish Inquisition of the 15th — 17th centuries. Many converted to Catholicism under the most severe duress. Because of ongoing persecution, some of those migrated first to Mexico and later to New Mexico. In recent years, a growing number of their descendants have become aware of their Jewish backgrounds — in part because of the availability of genetic testing. There is much more to the story: Click on the links below.
Quote: “New Mexico’s Jewish history reaches back almost 500 hundred years when some of the early Spanish arrivals by way of Mexico traced their family histories to Spanish and Portuguese Sephardic Jews who became conversos, or “converted” in order to escape the clutches of the Spanish Inquisition. Today, a number of Hispanic descendants are exploring their families’ crypto-Jewish roots.” — New Mexico Jewish Historical Society
Sources: Wikipedia, New Mexico Jewish Historical Society
Read “Crypto-Jews” from the New Mexico Jewish Historical Society. >>
Read “Genetic research: almost 25% of Latinos, Hispanics have Jewish DNA.” >>
Watch “Crypto-Jews in New Mexico” [22:10]. >>
Watch “Professor Ilan Stavans: ‘Crypto-Jews: To Be and Not to Be’ ” [1:26:22]. >>
Photo: road scholar.org
Amazing Jews
In Celebration of the Jewish People
