TEJANOS, MANITOS Y LOS CRIPTOJUDÍOS SEFARDITAS -BREVE RELATO HISTÓRICO DE LA RELIGIOSIDAD REGIONAL Y LA VISIÓN DEL MUNDO-

"Un criptojudío sefardita en la Nueva España, inmerso en la lectura
de textos sagrados en la privacidad de su hogar, un reflejo de la tenacidad
cultural y religiosa frente a la Inquisición. (Imagen generada por IA Gemini)"

(Presentado por Richard G. Santos en el campus del centro de la Universidad de Texas en San Antonio 24 de marzo de 1998 - Sección II - Contribución judía sefardita a la cultura de los Tejanos, Norteños y Manitos).

El 8 de agosto de 1580, el barco "La Santa Catalina", cargado de criptojudíos, llegó al Puerto de Tampico. Desembarcaron en esa fecha histórica más de 100 soldados colonos que se habían registrado en Sevilla con las autoridades, contratados por el conquistador converso [es decir, Nuevo Cristiano] Luis de Carvajal y de la Cueva para la fundación de El Nuevo Reyno de León [ahora compuesto por el sur de Texas y los estados mexicanos adyacentes de Nuevo León, Coahuila, Tamaulipas y parte de Chihuahua]. La Cédula Real de Colonización describía el "Nuevo Reino de León" como un territorio de 200 leguas cuadradas que comenzaba en la desembocadura del Río Pánuco, frente al Puerto de Tampico. Esto incluía automáticamente los asentamientos de 1577 del Capitán portugués Alberto del Canto [nacido en la "tercera Isla de las Azores" y del que se informa que fue un Criptojudío]. Los asentamientos se llamaron Saltillo y Monclova (en el actual Estado de Coahuila), Cerralvo y Monterrey [en el actual Estado de Nuevo León]. Junto con del Canto, Don Luis reclutó a antiguos conocidos del pueblo minero de Mazapil (y quizás parientes), los capitanes Gasper Castaño de Sosa (del que se dice que era un Criptojudío portugués) y Diego de Montemayor (de antecedentes muy cuestionables). Ninguno de los tres capitanes, sin embargo, fue arrestado o juzgado por la Inquisición. Por lo tanto, sus verdaderas identidades y creencias religiosas no han sido documentadas por más de cuatro siglos.

Sin embargo, como determinaría el mal llamado Santo Oficio de la Inquisición del Virreinato de Nueva España, con sede en la Ciudad de México, en sus juicios y Autos de Fe de 1590 a 1649, la hermana de Don Luis, su esposo e hijos, así como todos sus primos de primer y segundo grado, tíos, tías, parientes políticos y muchos de los soldados colonos y conocidos, eran Nuevos Cristianos Criptojudíos. Aunque pocos de los soldados colonos originales se asentaron realmente en el Nuevo Reyno de León, aquellos que lo hicieron estaban destinados a convertirse en las familias fundadoras de Nuevo León, Texas, Coahuila, Tamaulipas y Nuevo México. Se les unieron, y más tarde se mezclaron por matrimonio, con los colonos de El Reyno de la Nueva Vizcaya, fundado por el conquistador vasco Francisco de Ibarra. Al igual que los colonos de del Canto que sirvieron bajo los Ibarras, muchos de los soldados colonos del "Nuevo Reino de Vizcaya" eran Criptojudíos, conversos, vascos, criollos y mestizos del Reino de la Nueva Galicia en la costa del Pacífico y del Reino de Nueva España en el centro-sur. Muchos eran soldados colonos fundadores de Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán y algunos habían llegado con Hernán Cortés o Pánfilo de Narváez. Como los Pérez de Oñate del "Reino de Nueva Galicia", muchos eran Criptojudíos vascos y conversos.

También debe notarse que 160 unidades familiares de los asentamientos de del Canto-Carvajal y de la Cueva entraron en Nuevo México en 1591 bajo el mando del Capitán Gaspar Castaño de Sosa, donde fueron arrestados y devueltos al área de Zacatecas-Santa Bárbara. En 1598, muchos de ellos se unieron a la expedición de colonización de Nuevo México de Juan Pérez Nariahonda de Oñate [fundador de San Luis Potosí], cuyo padre, Don Cristóbal [fundador de Guadalajara y Zacatecas], había sido identificado como judío por su propio hermano Juan de Oñate.

Por lo tanto, no es sorprendente que al describir a la gente del Nuevo Reyno de León en 1596, el Virrey informara al Rey que "no reconocen ni a Dios ni al Rey". Tampoco es sorprendente leer en la historia publicada en 1610 de la expedición de Oñate a Nuevo México, que "esta tierra está infestada de gente prohibida". Finalmente, desde la Ciudad de México, el 30 de noviembre de 1646, el Inquisidor Mayor Juan Sáenz de Manosca informó al Rey que "es bien sabido que los judíos practicantes tienen el control del Reino de Nueva España".

Las personas legalmente prohibidas de emigrar al Nuevo Mundo eran los Nuevos Cristianos, Judíos y descendientes de personas penitenciadas por la Inquisición. Técnicamente, moros, herejes [es decir, protestantes] y brujas también figuraban entre la "gente prohibida". Sin embargo, al igual que el término "portugués", la frase "gente prohibida" era sinónimo de "judío". El puñado de moros y varias docenas de protestantes {principalmente piratas británicos y franceses} eran intrascendentes en comparación con la dominancia de la "gente prohibida", es decir, los conversos Nuevos Cristianos y Criptojudíos que no solo controlaban la economía del Virreinato, sino que colonizaban los reinos de la frontera norte.

A la luz de esto, no importaba si las personas de ascendencia Sefardita eran conversos, anusim, Criptojudíos o judíos abiertamente practicantes. Eran la clase dominante. Como tales, influenciaron involuntaria e inconscientemente a las personas y culturas a su alrededor. Ya fueran Viejos Cristianos, Indígenas, mestizos o castas, la visión del mundo, los valores, el estilo de vida y la cultura de los Sefardíes fueron intencionalmente imitados e inconscientemente adoptados.

Sería imposible rastrear el origen del anticlericalismo del norte de México, Texas y el suroeste de los EE. UU. hasta los Sefardíes. Sin embargo, como se registra en los juicios de la Inquisición y los Autos de Fe, los Sefardíes manifestaron un severo sentimiento anticlerical y anticatólico. Al mismo tiempo, muchas familias Criptojudías permitían o animaban a que al menos un miembro de la familia se convirtiera en monja o clérigo para tener derecho a un linaje de Viejos Cristianos. El resentimiento que rozaba el odio y la intolerancia se reflejaba en las acciones y el desdén documentados por la Inquisición. También se revelan en los juicios Criptojudíos las referencias a aquellos sacerdotes y misioneros que ilegalmente se tomaron la libertad de absolver a los Criptojudíos y les impedían, o los disuadían, de denunciarse a la Inquisición. Al mismo tiempo, algunos sacerdotes, como el Reverendo Pedro de Alvarado, cura de la iglesia de San Agustín en Zacatecas, fue denunciado a la Inquisición en 1624 por supuestamente declarar "que la fornicación simple entre adultos (solteros) que consienten no era pecado". Se informó a la Inquisición que su compañero sacerdote, el Reverendo Diego de Herrera, declaró que no importaba si los infantes morían sin ser bautizados (o sin recibir el Sacramento de la Extremaunción). Muchos no clérigos habían sido severamente penitenciados por la Inquisición por pronunciar declaraciones idénticas, pero estos dos sacerdotes no lo fueron. Durante el mismo período, el cura y Comisionado de la Inquisición en la Ciudad de Monterrey, capital del Nuevo Reyno de León, era socio de negocios de pleno derecho de la clase dominante. Y, como se documenta en los archivos civiles de Monterrey, el cura fue declarado copropietario de numerosas concesiones mineras y recibía un porcentaje de todas las ganancias. De nuevo, uno no puede evitar preguntarse si esa asociación de negocios del Comisionado con sus feligreses lo mantenía tan ocupado que nunca inició ninguna investigación o juicio de presuntos Criptojudíos como los capitanes Alberto del Canto, Gaspar Castaño de Sosa y el misterioso Diego de Montemayor. Además, el cura de Saltillo presentó una queja contra el Capitán Diego de Villareal, residente de Monterrey, quien supuestamente "portaba armas, montaba a caballo, vestía ropas de seda y joyas a pesar de ser descendiente de padres bautizados como adultos" {es decir, anusim convertidos por la fuerza}. Nada de lo que se derivó de los cargos y quejas presentadas contra los capitanes Villareal o del Canto, ni de las sospechas con respecto a Castaño de Sosa.

Mientras tanto, en Nuevo México, Fray Alonso de Benavides informó a la Inquisición el 29 de junio de 1626 que el Gobernador Juan de Eulate nunca perdía la oportunidad de discutir con quien estuviera presente la caída de obispos y clérigos. "Los españoles ignorantes de esta zona", informó el Fraile, "tenían una mala impresión del clero y el Gobernador los ha animado mucho en estas discusiones". Fray Benavides identificó al Sargento Mayor Francisco Gómez y al Capitán Alonso Varela como dos de los cómplices más cercanos del Gobernador que deberían ser penitenciados por la Inquisición por ser los más francos [anticlericales] y opuestos a la autoridad Eclesiástica. El Fraile denunció específicamente al Capitán Varela ante la Inquisición de la Ciudad de México por decir que no era pecado mentir bajo juramento y que lo había hecho muchas veces.

Fray Benavides también estaba muy preocupado por un Criptojudío que él mismo había visto penitenciado por la Inquisición de La Española. El Fraile estaba convencido de que el residente de Nuevo México Donayre de las Misas [es decir, Señor Viento de las Misas] no era otro que el médico Francisco de Soto, nativo de las Islas Canarias. Como informó Fray Benavides, estaba seguro de esto porque había servido como Alguacil Mayor de la Inquisición de La Española y había estado presente en su tortura, penitencia, reconciliación y exilio a Sevilla. Sin embargo, de Soto, ahora usando el nombre insultante, vivía libremente en Nuevo México y negaba las afirmaciones de Benavides. Para la consternación de Benavides, el hombre cambió su nombre a Juan Pecador [es decir, Juan el pecador] cuando fue presionado por el Fraile. Estevan Perea, un amigo de de Soto, también fue denunciado a la Inquisición por Benavides como sospechoso de ser un Criptojudío.

Mientras tanto, Vicente Guerra Zaldivar, residente de Zacatecas-Monterrey de veinte años, de la familia extendida económica y políticamente poderosa Pérez de Oñate-Guerra Reza-Mendoza Zaldivar de los reinos del norte del virreinato, pagó una multa sin importancia por pronunciar declaraciones blasfemas y heréticas porque, como señaló en 1615 el Comisionado de la Inquisición de Zacatecas en una carta a la Inquisición con sede en la Ciudad de México, "considerando que el acusado es un joven franco y audaz que es muy poderoso en esta zona, si fuera acusado su juicio causaría grandes inconvenientes".

SOBRE EL AUTOR

Richard G. Santos obtuvo su título de Bachiller en Artes en Historia e Inglés en la Universidad de St. Mary's y una Maestría en Artes en Inglés en la Universidad de Trinity. Cuando aún era estudiante de pregrado en St. Mary's, el primer libro de Richard, Santa Ana's Campaign Against Texas, fue publicado por Texian Press de Waco en 1968 y reeditado por R & D Books de Salisbury, Carolina del Norte, en 1981. Sigue siendo la piedra angular indiscutible para cualquiera que investigue o esté interesado en la historia militar de la Revolución de Texas y la Batalla del Álamo. Desde entonces, Richard ha sido autor, coautor y ha escrito introducciones para 30 libros, 300 artículos [publicados en EE. UU., México, Europa y Japón], y ha lanzado dos álbumes y dos casetes de música folclórica tejana. También ha escrito y producido 12 documentales cinematográficos y ha aparecido en numerosos documentales, incluido The West, estrenado a nivel nacional por PBS en septiembre de 1996. Nueve de sus libros se han utilizado como lecturas complementarias en varios distritos escolares y universidades de Texas y el suroeste, con algunas reimpresiones emitidas por la Agencia de Educación de Texas.

En el camino, Richard se desempeñó como el primer Archivista del Condado de Bexar [Texas], Oficina del Secretario del Condado. A partir de entonces, enseñó a tiempo completo y se desempeñó como Director de Estudios Étnicos en la Universidad Our Lady of the Lake, y ha enseñado a tiempo parcial en la Universidad de Trinity, Palo Alto Community College y la Escuela de Medicina Aeroespacial en Brooks AFB, todas ubicadas en San Antonio, Texas. También se ha desempeñado como consultor y conferencista para la Agencia de Educación de Texas, el Departamento de Educación de EE. UU., el Departamento del Interior de EE. UU., el Departamento de Trabajo de EE. UU. y numerosos distritos escolares y universidades en todo Texas y el suroeste. Además de hacer programas de radio en inglés para WOAI y en español para KBUC, Richard también fue columnista semanal para el San Antonio Express-News de 1988 a 1993.

Richard comenzó a dar conferencias y a publicar artículos sobre los Nuevos Cristianos Sefarditas y Criptojudíos de Texas, México y el suroeste de los EE. UU. ya en 1968, cuando el tema se consideraba controvertido. En diez años, la desconfianza de ambas comunidades, la hispana y la judía, se había superado y Richard compartía el podio en la Universidad de Trinity con el reconocido erudito judío Seymour Liebman. Más tarde, Richard se convirtió en orador principal en conferencias históricas judías en San Antonio, El Paso y Galveston, Texas y Santa Fe, Nuevo México, así como en el Templo Beth El en San Antonio. También ha impartido un mini-curso sobre los Criptojudíos y la Inquisición Mexicana en el Centro de la Comunidad Judía de San Antonio.

Autos de Fe de la Conspiración Portuguesa celebrada por el Santo Oficio de la Inquisición de la Ciudad de México 1646-1648, es la última contribución de Richard G. Santos al campo de los estudios Criptojudíos.

Fuente: https://web.archive.org/web/20001014033117/http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Crete/1340/lecture.htm

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TEJANOS, MANITOS AND THE SEPHARDIC CRYPTO JEWS -A BREIF HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF REGIONAL RELIGIOUSITY AND WORLDVIEW-

"A Sephardic Crypto-Jew in New Spain, immersed in reading
sacred texts in the privacy of his home, reflecting cultural and religious
resilience in the face of the Inquisition. (Image generated by AI Gemini)"

(Presented by Richard G. Santos at the University of Texas at San Antonio downtown campus March 24, 1998  - Section II - Sephardic Jewish contribution to the culture of the Tejanos, Nortenos and Manitos.)

On August 8, 1580, the Crypto Judaic laden ship "La Santa Catalina" arrived at the Port of Tampico. Disembarking on that historic date were well over the 100 soldier colonists who had registered with the authorities at Sevilla contracted by converso [i.e. New Christian] conquistador Luis de Carvajal y de la Cueva for the founding of El Nuevo Reyno de Leon [now comprised of South Texas and the abutting Mexican states of Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Tamaulipas, and part of Chihuhua]. The Royal Colonization Charter described the "New Kingdom of Leon" as being 200 square leagues beginning at the mouth of the Panuco River opposite the Port of Tampico. This automatically included the 1577 settlements of Portuguese Captain Alberto del Canto [i.e. born on the "third Island of the Azores" and reported to have been a Crypto Jew}. The settlements were present-named Saltillo and Monclova (in the present State of Coahuila), Cerralvo and Monterrey [in the present State of Nuevo Leon]. Along with del Canto, Don Luis recruited former acquaintances from the mining village of Mazapil (and prehaps relatives), captains Gasper Castano de Sosa (reported to have been a Portuguese Crypto Jew) and Diego de Montemayor (of highly questionable background). None of the three captains, however, were ever arrested or tried by the Inquisition. Therefore, their true identities and religious beliefs have gone undocumented for over four centuries.

As the mis-named Holy Office of the Inquisition of the Viceregency of New Spain seated in Mexico City would determine in its trials and Autos de Fe from 1590 through 1649, however, the sister of Don Luis, her husband and children, as well as all his first and second cousins, uncles, aunts, in-laws, and many of the soldier-colonists and acquaintances, were New Christian Crypto Jews. Although few of the original soldier colonists actually settled in the Nuevo Reyno de Leon, those who did were destined to become the founding families of Nuevo Leon, Texas, Coahuila, Tamaulipas and New Mexico. They were joined, and later mixed through marriage, with the settlers of El Reyno de la Nueva Vizcaya founded by Basque conquistador Francisco de Ibarra. As with the del Canto settlers who served under the Ibarras, many of the soldier-colonists of the "New Kingdom of Bizcay" were Crypto Jews, conversos, Basques, Creoles and mestizos from the Pacific Coast Reyno de la Nueva Galicia and south-central Kingdom of New Spain. Many were the founding soldier-colonists of Nuno Beltran de Guzman and a few had come with Hernan Cortes or Panfilo de Narvaez. Like the Perez de Onate of the "Kingdom fo New Galicia" many were Basque Crypto Jews and conversos.

It should also be noted that 160 family units of the del Canto-Carvajal y de la Cueva settlements entered New Mexico in 1591 under Captain Gaspar Castano de Sosa where they were arrested and returned to the Zacatecas-Santa Barbara area. In 1598, many of them joined the New Mexico colonization expedition of Juan Perez Nariahonda de Onate [founder of San Luis Potosi] whose father, Don Cristobal [founder of Guadalajara and Zacatecas], had been identified as a Jew by his own brother Juan de Onate.

Hence it is not surprising that in describing the people of the Nuevo Reyno de Leon in 1596, the Viceroy reported to the King that "they recognize neither God or King". Neither is it surprising to read in the 1610 published history of the Onate expedition into New Mexico, that "this land is infested with prohibited people". Finally, from Mexico City on November 30, 1646, Senior Inquisitor Juan Saenz de Manosca reported to the King that "it is well known that the practicing Jews are in control of the Kingdom of New Spain".

The people prohibited by law from migrating to the New World, were New Christians, Jews and descendants of people penanced by the Inquisition. Technically, Moors, heretics [i.e. Protestants] and witches were also listed among "the prohibited people". However, like the term "Portuguese", the phrase "prohibited people" was synonymous with "Jewish". The handful of Moors and several dozen Protestants {primarily British and French pirates} were inconsequential when compared to the dominance of the "prohibited people", that is, the New Christian conversos and Crypto Jews who not only controlled the economy of the Viceregency, but colonized the northern frontier kingdoms.

In light of this, it mattered not if the people of Sphardic descent were conversos, anusim, Crypto Jews or openly practicing Jews. They were the ruling class. As such, they unintentionally and unwittingly influenced the people and cultures around them. Be they Old Christians, Indigenous, mestizos or castas, the worldview, values, lifestyle and culture of the Sephardi were intentionally imitated and unknowingly adopted.

It would be impossible to trace the origin of the anti-clericalism of northern Mexico, Texas and the U.S. Southwest to the Sephardi. Yet, as recorded in the trials of the Inquisition and Autos de Fe, the Sephardi manifested severe anti-clerical and anti-Catholic sentiments. At the same time, many Crypto Judaic families allowed or encouraged at least one family member to become a nun or cleric so as to have claim to Old Christian lineage. The resentment bordering on hatred and intolerance was reflected in the actions and disdain documented by the Inquisition. Also revealed in the Crypto Judaic trials are the references to those priests and missionaries who illegally took it upon themselves to absolve Crypto Jews and kept, or discouraged, them from denouncing themselves to the Inquisition. At the same time, some priest, such as Reverend Pedro de Alvarado, curate at the church of San Agustin in Zacatecas, was denounced to the Inquisition in 1624 for reportedly stating "that simple fornication between consenting (unmarried) adults was not a sin." His companion priest, Reverend Diego de Herrera was reported to the Inquisition as stating it did not matter if infants died without being baptized (or receiving the Sacrament of Last Rites). Many non-clerics had been severly penanced by the Inquisition for uttering identical statements, but these two priests were not. During the same period, the curate and Commissioner of the Inquisition at the City of Monterrey, capital of the Nuevo Reyno de Leon, was a full fledge business partner of the ruling class. And, as documented in the civil archives of Monterrey, the curate was declared co-owner of numerous mine claims and received a percentage of all profits. Again, one cannot help but wonder if that business association of the Commissioner with his parishioners kept him so busy that he never instigated any investigations or trials of suspected Crypto Jews such as captains Alberto del Canto, Gaspar Castano de Sosa and the mysterious Diego de Montemayor. Moreover, the curate of Saltillo filed complaint against Monterrey resident Captian Diego de Villareal, who reportedly "bore arms, rode a horse, wore silk clothing and jewlry even though he was a descendant of parents baptized as adults" {i.e. forcibly converted anusim}. Nothing came of the charges and complains filed against captains Villareal or del Canto, nor of the suspicions regarding Castano de Sosa.

In New Mexico, meanwhile, Fray ALonso de Benavides reported to the Inquisiton on June 29, 1626, that Govenor Juan de Eulate never missed an opportunity to discuss with whoever was present the fall of Bishops and clerics. "The ignorant espanoles of this area" reported the Friar, "had a bad impression of the clergy and the Governor has encouraged them a great deal in these discussions". Fray Benavides identifed Sargent Major Francisco Gomez and Captain Alonso Varela as two of the Governor's closest accomplices who should be penanced by the Inquisition for being the most outspoken [anti-clerical] and opposed to Ecclesiastic authority. The Friar specifically denounced Captain Varela to the Mexico City Inquisition for saying that it was not a sin to lie under oath and that he had done it many times.

Fray Benavides was also very concerned about a Crypto Jew he had personally seen penanced by the Inquisition of Hispanola. The Friar was convinced that New Mexcio resident Donayre de las Misas [i.e Lord Wind of the Masses] was none other than medical doctor Francisco de Soto, a native of the Canary Islands. As reported by Fray Benavides, he was sure of this because he had served as High Constable for the Inquisition of Hispanola and had been present at his torture, penance, reconciliation and exile to Sevilla. Yet, de Soto, now using the insulting name, was living freely in New Mexico and was denying Benavides' assertions. Adding to Benavides' chagrin, the man changed his name to Juan Pecador [i.e John the sinner] when pressured by the Friar. Estevan Perea, a friend of de Soto, was also reprted to the Inquisition by Benavides as suspected of being a Crypto Jew.

Meanwhile, twenty year old Zacatecas-Monterey resident Vicente Guerra Zaldivar, of the economically and politically powerful Perez de Onate-Guerra Reza-Mendoza Zaldivar extended family of the northern kingdoms of the viceregency, paid a meaningless fine for uttering blasphemous and heretical statements because, as noted in 1615 by the Commissioner of the Inquisition of Zacatecas in a letter to the Mexico City based Inquisition, "considering that the accused is an outspoken and daring young man who is very powerful in this area, if he were charged his trial would cause great inconveniences".

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Richard G. Santos earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Mary's University in History and English and a Master of Arts degree in English from Trinity University. While still an undergraduate at St. Mary's, Richard's first book, Santa Ana's Campaign Against Texas, was released by Texian Press of Waco in 1968 and reprinted by R & D Books of Salisbury, North Carolina in 1981. It remains the unchallenged keystone for anyone doing research or interested in the military history of the Texas Revolution and Battle of the Alamo. Since then, Richard has authored, co-authored and written introductions for 30 books, 300 articles [published in the U.S., Mexico, Europe, and Japan], and released two albums and two audio cassettes of Tejano folk music. He has also written and produced 12 film documentaries, and has appeared in numerous documentaries including The West, released by PBS nationally in September 1996. Nine of his books have been used as supplementary readers by a number of school districts and universities in Texas and the Southwest, with some reprints issued by the Texas Education Agency.

Along the way, Richard served as the first Archivist of Bexar County [Texas], Office of County Clerk. Thereafter, he taught full-time and served as Director of Ethnic Studies at Our Lady of the Lake University, and has taught part time at Trinity University, Palo Alto Community College, and the School of Aero Space Medicine at Brooks AFB, all located in San Antonio, Texas. He has also served as consultant and lecturer for the Texas Education Agency, U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of Labor, and numerous school districts and universities throughout Texas and the Southwest. Apart from doing radio programs in English for WOAI and in Spanish for KBUC, Richard was also a weekly columnist for the San Antonio Express-News from 1988 to 1993.

Richard began to lecture and publish articles on the Sephardic New Christians and Crypto Jews of Texas, Mexico and the U.S. Southwest as early as 1968, when the topic was considered controversial. Within ten years, the mistrust of both the Hispanic and Jewish communities had been overcome and Richard was sharing the podium at Trinity University with renown Jewish scholar Seymour Liebman. Later, Richard became a feature speaker at Jewish Historical conferences in San Antonio, El Paso, and Galveston, Texas and Santa Fe, New Mexico as well as Temple Beth El in San Antonio. He has also conducted a mini-course on the Crypto Jews and the Mexican Inquisition at the Jewish Community Center of San Antonio.

Autos de Fe of the Portuguese Conspiracy held by the Holy Office of the Inquisition of Mexico City 1646-1648, is the latest contribution of Richard G. Santos to the field of Crypto Judaic studies.

Fuente: https://web.archive.org/web/20001014033117/http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Crete/1340/lecture.html 

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JUDÍOS MEXICANOS SECRETOS EN TEXAS HOY (POR ANNE DE SOLA CARDOZA)

Comida tradicional inspirada en la herencia de los judíos secretos
de Texas, con pan de semita y capirotada. (Generado por IA Gemini).

La comida judía, las tradiciones orales, la cultura y las costumbres religiosas secretas están apareciendo hoy en el folclore, los hábitos y las prácticas de los descendientes de los primeros colonos del sur de Texas y las zonas circundantes de México. En el norte de México y en lo que hoy es Texas, los judíos de Nuevo León y su capital, Monterrey, vivieron sin temor al acoso del Santo Oficio a partir de la década de 1640. Muchas de las principales familias no judías de esa zona hoy en día descienden de antepasados judíos secretos, según el académico Richard G. Santos. Santos afirma que hay cientos, si no miles, de descendientes de judíos españoles y portugueses viviendo hoy en San Antonio, Texas, EE. UU., y en todo el sur de Texas. No todos son conscientes de su herencia judía. Santos es un reconocido académico de San Antonio, Texas, en estudios étnicos sobre los judíos españoles secretos del sur de Texas.

El 23 de mayo de 1973, presentó un documento en el Instituto Interreligioso del Centro de Posgrado Chapman de la Universidad Trinity sobre las costumbres judías sefardíes secretas en el Texas actual y las zonas mexicanas cercanas.

Así es como sabemos que muchos hispanos texanos y mexicanos de hoy en día tienen ascendencia judía. Es un hecho bien aceptado que las familias fundadoras de Monterrey y la cercana zona fronteriza mexicana, el "Nuevo Reyno de León", son de origen judío sefardí. Si nos remontamos al Diccionario Porrúa de Historia, Geografía y Biografía, se afirma que Luis de Carvajal y de la Cueva trajo un barco lleno de judíos para colonizar su colonia mexicana, siendo algunos de ellos conversos al catolicismo y otros "abiertamente adictos a su doctrina (judía)".

Según el difunto Seymour Liebman, un erudito en judíos secretos de la época colonial mexicana, en su libro "Jews in New Spain" ("Judíos en la Nueva España"), explicó por qué los judíos se asentaron en áreas alejadas de la Ciudad de México: para escapar del largo brazo de la Inquisición en el siglo XVI. Hay un viejo chiste mexicano antisemita, universalmente conocido, que dice: "la gente de Monterrey son muy judíos... son muy codo". En inglés se traduce como: "The people of Monterrey are very Jewish... very tightwad" (La gente de Monterrey es muy judía... muy tacaña).

Los judíos secretos colonizaron los estados de Nuevo León, Coahuila, Tamaulipas y el buen viejo Texas, EE. UU., en las décadas de 1640-1680 y posteriormente. La mayoría de los inmigrantes de habla hispana de Texas vinieron de Nuevo León, Tamaulipas y Coahuila (el antiguo Nuevo Reyno de León) a partir de la década de 1680.

Los judíos secretos del siglo XVII que se asentaron en lo que hoy es el sur de Texas, particularmente alrededor de San Antonio, llevaron consigo sus alimentos judíos, especialmente lo que llaman "pan de semita"...

Alimentos judíos sefardíes en el viejo Texas

¿Por qué los mexicoamericanos en Texas y en la provincia mexicana de Monterrey comen "pan de semita" durante la Pascua judía/Cuaresma? Según el académico Richard G. Santos, los pasteles texanos y mexicanos como el pan dulce, el pan de semita, las trenzas, los cuernos, el pan de héroe y el pan de los protestantes son similares a los pasteles judíos familiares que comen los judíos sefardíes hoy en muchas otras partes del mundo.

El pan de semita era consumido en la España anterior a la Inquisición por judíos o moros árabes. Hoy en día, es popular en Texas y en la parte de México que colinda con Texas. Se traduce al inglés como "pan semítico". Hoy en día, es una costumbre mexicoamericana en la zona fronteriza de Texas y México comer pan de semita durante la Cuaresma, que coincide con la Pascua judía.

El pan de semita se hornea combinando dos tazas de harina, media a dos tercios de taza de agua, unas cuantas cucharadas de mantequilla o aceite de oliva, se mezcla y se hornea sin levadura. Incluso entre los mexicanos católicos devotos, nunca se usa manteca de cerdo, por eso se llama pan semítico. El pan de semita es en realidad la receta para el Matzá judío secreto del siglo XVII, y hoy en día es consumido por todos los mexicanos en la zona fronteriza del norte de México y Texas, sin importar su religión.

Solo en Texas y a lo largo de la frontera de Texas-México se hornea un tipo especial de pan de semita, según el Dr. Santos, quien él mismo desciende de judíos españoles secretos de la zona que han vivido en esa parte de Texas y Monterrey desde la época colonial.

El pan de semita especial de la frontera de Texas tiene ingredientes especiales: solo aceite vegetal, harina, pasas, nueces y agua. Las pasas, las nueces pecanas y el aceite vegetal fueron identificados, según el Dr. Santos, como ingredientes seleccionados de los judíos secretos de la Nueva España.

Se toman dos tazas de harina, una taza o menos de agua, un puñado de aceite de oliva y se mezcla con media a dos tercios de taza de pasas y nueces pecanas. Luego se amasa y se hornea a 350 grados hasta que esté ligeramente dorado y fácil de masticar.

Este pan de semita solo se encuentra en la zona fronteriza de Texas/México y en Texas. Los panaderos pasteleros de México afirman que este tipo de pan de semita es desconocido en el centro de México. Otros panes de semita se encuentran en Guadalajara, hechos de trigo (Semita de trigo), en los que se sustituye el agua por leche. En Texas y también en Guadalajara, también se encuentra la Semita de aniz (anís). Sin embargo, la semita de trigo y la semita de anís nunca incluyen pasas y nueces pecanas, y está prohibido usar manteca de cerdo. Solo se puede usar aceite de oliva o mantequilla para hacer el pan semítico.

Además de los fabricantes de matzá mexicanos de Texas y Monterrey, México, el pollo se sacrifica de una manera especial. En Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Coahuila y entre los mexicoamericanos en Texas, se realizan dos formas de sacrificar aves. Los pollos solo pueden ser sacrificados torciéndoles el cuello con la mano o cortándoles la cabeza con un solo golpe de un cuchillo afilado, e inmediatamente toda la sangre debe ser extraída del pollo en un recipiente. Luego, el ave se sumerge en agua caliente para eliminar cualquier rastro de sangre.

Este método es el mismo que realizaban los criptojudíos en el siglo XVII en México, como lo describe el erudito Seymour Liebman. Los judíos secretos de México en la década de 1640 decapitaban a sus pollos y los colgaban en una cuerda de tender la ropa para que la sangre drenara en un recipiente con agua. Luego, el ave se remojaba en agua caliente y se lavaba el tiempo suficiente para eliminar toda la sangre.

En el Valle del Río Grande en Texas, hoy en día existe un ritual que utiliza este método de sacrificar pollos con un gesto añadido de dibujar una cruz en el suelo y colocar el pollo en el centro de las líneas que se cruzan.

Comer tortillas de nopal y huevo es una costumbre durante la semana de la Pascua judía/Cuaresma de los judíos secretos del siglo XVII y de los mexicoamericanos de Texas y el norte de México de hoy en día. Las tortillas se llaman nopalitos lampreados. Es una costumbre comer solo este alimento durante la Cuaresma. ¿Es este también un antiguo rito de la Pascua de los judíos secretos?

No se permitía ningún otro pan excepto el pan de semita durante la Cuaresma, y el pan de semita no tiene levadura y contiene los mismos ingredientes que el Matzá.

Los mexicoamericanos rurales en Texas también beben té de menta, jugos de frutas o chocolate durante la Semana Santa. Hay mucha evidencia en los alimentos de que estas personas también estaban observando la Pascua judía además de la Cuaresma y la Semana Santa, aunque muchos no lo sabían hasta que se les señaló que estaban comiendo alimentos sefardíes tradicionales del siglo XVI, especialmente las hierbas amargas añadidas a la comida.

Los mexicoamericanos en Texas echan el primer trozo de la 'masa' (suena como Matzá) al fuego, antes de cocinar un lote de tortillas de maíz o pan. Estas mismas personas tampoco comen carne los viernes. Algunos mexicoamericanos no comen cerdo después de las 6 p.m. o al atardecer del viernes.

Otro alimento de Cuaresma/Pascua es la 'capirotada'. Es pan de trigo (piloncillo) al que se le añade azúcar morena, canela, queso, mantequilla, nueces pecanas, cacahuetes y pasas. Estos son ingredientes idénticos a los utilizados por los judíos españoles secretos en la Nueva España de 1640 para hacer sus panes y pasteles. Incluso los ingredientes y las recetas han sido registrados por el Santo Oficio de la Inquisición y conservados hasta el día de hoy en los archivos.

Los mexicoamericanos de Texas no practicaban la abstinencia de carne los viernes, mucho antes de que la iglesia católica relajara la regla de no comer carne los viernes. Además, las mujeres mayores se cubren las manos mientras rezan de la misma manera que las mujeres judías se cubren la cabeza. El Santo Oficio nunca extendió su largo brazo al área conocida hoy como Texas. Los descendientes de los isleños canarios, 16 familias que llegaron a Texas en 1731, establecieron el municipio de San Fernando de Béxar, que hoy es San Antonio. Estas familias se casaron con la población local del cercano Nuevo Reyno de León, muchos de los cuales eran judíos españoles y portugueses secretos que se mudaron a la zona específicamente porque el Santo Oficio de la Inquisición no operaba en el 'Texas' del siglo XVIII. Todos los mexicanos de la zona de hoy en día no son de ascendencia sefardí.

Sin embargo, un gran número todavía utiliza las tradiciones orales que son eminentemente de origen sefardí. La exposición histórica y los matrimonios mixtos con judíos sefardíes secretos ocurrieron en las partes de México que eran "refugios más seguros" para el asentamiento judío secreto, y esos refugios resultan ser el sur de Texas y la frontera mexicana circundante y las áreas adyacentes. Hoy en día, los texanos en el área de San Antonio están celebrando el origen judío secreto de algunos de sus alimentos, cultura y tradiciones orales.

Anne de Sola Cardoza es una autora a tiempo completo especializada en la escritura de novelas de psico-suspenso que involucran temas o personajes judíos sefardíes y es autora de 33 libros, tanto de ficción como de no ficción, y guiones cinematográficos. También escribe una columna semanal sobre oportunidades de negocio para un periódico nacional.

Fuente: https://diariojudio.com/opinion/texas-mexican-secret-jews-today/3880/ 

https://web.archive.org/web/20080215002857/http://www.sefarad.org/publication/lm/011/texas.html

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TEXAS MEXICAN SECRET JEWS TODAY (BY ANNE DE SOLA CARDOZA)

Traditional food inspired by the heritage of Texas' secret Jews,
featuring pan de semita and capirotada. (Generated by AI Gemini).

Jewish food, oral traditions, culture, and secret, religious customs are showing up today in the folklore, habits and practices of the descendants of early settlers in southern Texas and the surrounding areas of Mexico. In northern Mexico and what today is Texas, the Jews of Nuevo Leon and its capital, Monterrey, Mexico, lived without fear of harrassment from the Holy Office of the 1640’s and beyond. Many of the leading nonªJewish families today of that area are descended from secret Jewish ancestors, according to scholar, Richard G. Santos. Santos states there are hundreds, if not thousands of descendants of Spanish and Portuguese Jews living today in San Antonio, Texas, USA and throughout South Texas. Not all are aware of their Jewish heritage. Santos is a renowned San Antonio, Texas scholar in ethnic studies of South Texas secret Spanish Jewry.

He presented a paper to the Interfaith Institute at the Chapman Graduate Center of Trinity University on May 23, 1973 on secret Sephardic Jewish customs in today’s Texas and nearby Mexican areas.

Here’s how we know a lot of Tex-Mex Hispanics today are of Jewish ancestry. It’s a well accepted fact that the founding families of Monterrey and the nearby Mexican border area, “Nuevo Reyno de Leon” are of Sephardic Jewish origin. If we go back to The Diccionario Porrua de Historia Geografia y Biografia, it states that Luis de Carvajal y de a Cueva brought a shipload of Jews to settle his Mexican colony – with some Jews being converts to Catholicism fron Judaism and others “openly addicted to their (Jewish) doctrine”.

According to the late Seymour Liebman, a scholar on Mexican colonial secret Jews, in his book “Jews in New Spain”, explained why Jews settled in areas far away from Mexico City in order to escape the long arm of the Inquisition in the sixteenth century. There’s an old, universally known anti-Semitic Mexican joke, one-liner that says, “la gente de Monterrey son muy judios … son muy codo”. In English it translates, “The people of Monterrey are very Jewish … very tightwad”.

Secret Jews colonized the states of Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Tamualipas and good old Texas, USA in the 1640’s-1680s and thereafter. The majority of Texas’s Spanish-speaking immigrants came from Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, and Coahuila (the old Neuvo Reyno de Leon) beginning in the 1680s.

Seventeenth century secret Jews who settled in what is today southern Texas, particularly around San Antonio took with them their Jewish foods, particularly what they call “Semitic bread” or pan de semita …

Sephardic Jewish foods in old Texas

Why do Mexican Americans in Texas and in the Mexican province of nearby Monterrey eat “Semitic bread” on Passover/Lent? According to scholar Richard G. Santos, Tex-Mex pastries such as pan dulce, pan de semita, trenzas, cuernos, pan de hero, and pan de los protestantes (Protestant’s bread) are similar to familar Jewish pastries eaten by Sephardic Jews today in many other parts of the world.

Pan de semita was eaten in pre-inquisition Spain by a Jew or an Arab Moor. Today, its popular in Texas and in that part of Mexico bordering Texas. It translates into English as “Semitic bread”. It’s a Mexican-American custom in the Texas and Tex-Mex border area today to eat pan de semita during Lent which occurs on or around the Jewish Passover.

You bake pan de semita by combining two cups of flour, one half to two-thirds cup of water, a few tablespoons of butter or olive oil, mix and bake unleavened. Even among the devout Catholic Mexicans pork lard is never used, that’s why it’s called Semitic bread. Pan de semita is really the receipe for 17th century secret Jewish Matzoh, and it’s eaten by all Mexicans today in the north Mexican/Texas border area, regardless of religion.

Only in Texas and along the Texas-Mexican border is a special type of pan de semita baked, according to Dr. Santos, who himself is descended from secret Spanish Jews of the area who’ve lieve in that part of Texas and Monterrey since colonial times.

The special Texas pan de semita of the border has special ingredients : only vegetable oil, flour raisins, nuts, and water. The raisins, pecans, and vegetable oil were identified, according to Dr. Santos, as selected ingredients of secret Jews of New Spain.

You take two cups of flour, a cup or less of water, a handful olive oil and mix with a half cup to two thirds cup each of raisins and pecans. Then you knead and bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned and easty to chew.

This pan de semita is only found in the Texas/Mexico border area and in Texas. Pastry bakers from Mexico claim this type of pan de semita is unknown in central Mexico. Other pan de semitas are found in Guadalahara made from wheat (Semita de trigo) in which milk is substituted for the water. In Texas and also in Guadalahara, one also finds Semita de aniz (anis). However, semita de trigo and semita de aniz never include raisins and pecans, and to use pork lard is forbidden. Only olive oil or butter can be used to make semitic bread.

In addition to the Mexican matzo makers of Texas and Monterrey, Mexico, chicken is slaughtered in a special way. In Nuevo Leon, Tamualipas, Coahuila, and among Mexican Americans in Texas, two ways of butchering fowl is performed. Chickens can only be slaughtered by either wringing the neck by hand or by taking the head off with only one stroke of a sharp knife, and immediately all blood must be removed from the chicken into a container. The fowl is next plunged into hot water to get rid of any blood.

This method is the same today as the crypto Jews performed in the 17th century in Mexico as described by scholar Seymour Liebman. The secret Jews of Mexico in the 1640s decapitated their chickens and hung them on a clothesline so the blood would drain into a container of water. Then the fowl was soaked in hot water and washed long enough to remove all the blood.

In the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, there’s a ritual today of using this method of butchering chickens with an added gesture of drawing a cross on the ground and placing the chicken at the center of intersecting lines.

Eating cactus and egg omelets is a custom during the Passover week/Lent of secret Jews of the 17th century and of Mexican Americans from Texas and northern Mexico today. The omelets are called nopalitos lampreados. It’s a custom to eat only this food during Lent. Is this and old Passover rite of secret Jews as well?

No other bread except pan de semita was allowed during Lent, and pan de semita is unleavened and contains the same ingredients as Matzoh.

Rural Mexican Americans in Texas also drink mint tea, fruit juices, or chocolate during Easter week. There’s much evidence in the foods that these people were also observing Passover in addition to Lent and Easter, although many didn’t know it until it was pointed out that they were eating traditional 16th century Sepahrdic foods, especially the bitter herbs added to the meal.

Mexican Americans in Texas cast the first piece of the ‘masa’ (dough, sounds like Matzoh) into the fire – before cooking up a batch of corn tortillas or bread. These same people also do not eat pork on Fridays. Some Mexican Americans don’t eat pork after6 p.m. or sundown on Friday.

Another Lenten/Passover food is ‘capirotada’. It’s wheat bread(pilon-cillo) to which raw sugar, cinnamon, cheese, butter,pecans, peanuts and raisins are added. These are identicalingredients to those used by secret Spanish Jews in the New Spainof 1640 to make their breads and cakes. Even the ingredients and receipes have been recorded by the Holy Office of the Inquisition and saved to this day in the archives.

Mexican Americans from Texas don’t practice abstaining from meat on Fridays, long before the Catholic church relaxed the rule of not eating meat on Fridays. Zlso older women cover their hands while praying in the same manner as Jewish women cover their heads. The Holy Office never extended its long arm to the area known today as Texas. Descendants of Canary Islanders, 16 families who came to Texas in 1731 established the township of San Fernando de Bexar which today is San Antonio. These families intermarried wit the local population of nearby Nuevo Reyno de Leon, many of whom were Spanish and Portuguese secret Jews who moved tot he area specifically because the Holy Office of the Inquisition didn’t operate in 18th century ‘Texas’. All Mexicans of the area today are not of Sephardic descent.

However, a large number still use the oral traditions which are eminently of Sephardic origin. Historical exposure to and intermarriage with Sephardic secret Jews has occurred in the parts of Mexico that were “safer havens” for secret Jewish settlement, and those havens happen to be southern Texas and the surrounding Mexican border and adjacent areas. Today, Texans in the San Antonio area are giving celebration to the secret Jewish origin of some of their foods, culture, and oral traditions.

Anne deSola Cardoza is a fulltime book author specializing in writing psycho-suspense novels involving Sephardic Jewish subjects or characters and is the author of 33 books, both fiction and nonfiction, and filmscripts. She also writes a weekly business opportunities career column for a national newspaper.

Fuente: https://diariojudio.com/opinion/texas-mexican-secret-jews-today/3880/ 

https://web.archive.org/web/20080215002857/http://www.sefarad.org/publication/lm/011/texas.html

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TEJANOS, MANITOS AND THE SEPHARDIC CRYPTO JEWS

Presented by

Richard G. Santos

at the 

University of Texas at San Antonio 

downtown campus

March 24, 1998

Section II - Sephardic Jewish contribution to the culture of the Tejanos, Nortenos and Manitos

A BREIF HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF REGIONAL RELIGIOUSITY AND WORLDVIEW

The painting depicts Crypto-Jews celebrating a Passover dinner in secret.
(Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

On August 8, 1580, the Crypto Judaic laden ship "La Santa Catalina" arrived at the Port of Tampico. Disembarking on that historic date were well over the 100 soldier colonists who had registered with the authorities at Sevilla contracted by converso [i.e. New Christian] conquistador Luis de Carvajal y de la Cueva for the founding of El Nuevo Reyno de Leon [now comprised of South Texas and the abutting Mexican states of Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Tamaulipas, and part of Chihuhua]. The Royal Colonization Charter described the "New Kingdom of Leon" as being 200 square leagues beginning at the mouth of the Panuco River opposite the Port of Tampico. This automatically included the 1577 settlements of Portuguese Captain Alberto del Canto [i.e. born on the "third Island of the Azores" and reported to have been a Crypto Jew}. The settlements were present-named Saltillo and Monclova (in the present State of Coahuila), Cerralvo and Monterrey [in the present State of Nuevo Leon]. Along with del Canto, Don Luis recruited former acquaintances from the mining village of Mazapil (and prehaps relatives), captains Gasper Castano de Sosa (reported to have been a Portuguese Crypto Jew) and Diego de Montemayor (of highly questionable background). None of the three captains, however, were ever arrested or tried by the Inquisition. Therefore, their true identities and religious beliefs have gone undocumented for over four centuries.

As the mis-named Holy Office of the Inquisition of the Viceregency of New Spain seated in Mexico City would determine in its trials and Autos de Fe from 1590 through 1649, however, the sister of Don Luis, her husband and children, as well as all his first and second cousins, uncles, aunts, in-laws, and many of the soldier-colonists and acquaintances, were New Christian Crypto Jews. Although few of the original soldier colonists actually settled in the Nuevo Reyno de Leon, those who did were destined to become the founding families of Nuevo Leon, Texas, Coahuila, Tamaulipas and New Mexico. They were joined, and later mixed through marriage, with the settlers of El Reyno de la Nueva Vizcaya founded by Basque conquistador Francisco de Ibarra. As with the del Canto settlers who served under the Ibarras, many of the soldier-colonists of the "New Kingdom of Bizcay" were Crypto Jews, conversos, Basques, Creoles and mestizos from the Pacific Coast Reyno de la Nueva Galicia and south-central Kingdom of New Spain. Many were the founding soldier-colonists of Nuno Beltran de Guzman and a few had come with Hernan Cortes or Panfilo de Narvaez. Like the Perez de Onate of the "Kingdom fo New Galicia" many were Basque Crypto Jews and conversos.

It should also be noted that 160 family units of the del Canto-Carvajal y de la Cueva settlements entered New Mexico in 1591 under Captain Gaspar Castano de Sosa where they were arrested and returned to the Zacatecas-Santa Barbara area. In 1598, many of them joined the New Mexico colonization expedition of Juan Perez Nariahonda de Onate [founder of San Luis Potosi] whose father, Don Cristobal [founder of Guadalajara and Zacatecas], had been identified as a Jew by his own brother Juan de Onate.

Hence it is not surprising that in describing the people of the Nuevo Reyno de Leon in 1596, the Viceroy reported to the King that "they recognize neither God or King". Neither is it surprising to read in the 1610 published history of the Onate expedition into New Mexico, that "this land is infested with prohibited people". Finally, from Mexico City on November 30, 1646, Senior Inquisitor Juan Saenz de Manosca reported to the King that "it is well known that the practicing Jews are in control of the Kingdom of New Spain".

The people prohibited by law from migrating to the New World, were New Christians, Jews and descendants of people penanced by the Inquisition. Technically, Moors, heretics [i.e. Protestants] and witches were also listed among "the prohibited people". However, like the term "Portuguese", the phrase "prohibited people" was synonymous with "Jewish". The handful of Moors and several dozen Protestants {primarily British and French pirates} were inconsequential when compared to the dominance of the "prohibited people", that is, the New Christian conversos and Crypto Jews who not only controlled the economy of the Viceregency, but colonized the northern frontier kingdoms.

In light of this, it mattered not if the people of Sphardic descent were conversos, anusim, Crypto Jews or openly practicing Jews. They were the ruling class. As such, they unintentionally and unwittingly influenced the people and cultures around them. Be they Old Christians, Indigenous, mestizos or castas, the worldview, values, lifestyle and culture of the Sephardi were intentionally imitated and unknowingly adopted.

It would be impossible to trace the origin of the anti-clericalism of northern Mexico, Texas and the U.S. Southwest to the Sephardi. Yet, as recorded in the trials of the Inquisition and Autos de Fe, the Sephardi manifested severe anti-clerical and anti-Catholic sentiments. At the same time, many Crypto Judaic families allowed or encouraged at least one family member to become a nun or cleric so as to have claim to Old Christian lineage. The resentment bordering on hatred and intolerance was reflected in the actions and disdain documented by the Inquisition. Also revealed in the Crypto Judaic trials are the references to those priests and missionaries who illegally took it upon themselves to absolve Crypto Jews and kept, or discouraged, them from denouncing themselves to the Inquisition. At the same time, some priest, such as Reverend Pedro de Alvarado, curate at the church of San Agustin in Zacatecas, was denounced to the Inquisition in 1624 for reportedly stating "that simple fornication between consenting (unmarried) adults was not a sin." His companion priest, Reverend Diego de Herrera was reported to the Inquisition as stating it did not matter if infants died without being baptized (or receiving the Sacrament of Last Rites). Many non-clerics had been severly penanced by the Inquisition for uttering identical statements, but these two priests were not. During the same period, the curate and Commissioner of the Inquisition at the City of Monterrey, capital of the Nuevo Reyno de Leon, was a full fledge business partner of the ruling class. And, as documented in the civil archives of Monterrey, the curate was declared co-owner of numerous mine claims and received a percentage of all profits. Again, one cannot help but wonder if that business association of the Commissioner with his parishioners kept him so busy that he never instigated any investigations or trials of suspected Crypto Jews such as captains Alberto del Canto, Gaspar Castano de Sosa and the mysterious Diego de Montemayor. Moreover, the curate of Saltillo filed complaint against Monterrey resident Captian Diego de Villareal, who reportedly "bore arms, rode a horse, wore silk clothing and jewlry even though he was a descendant of parents baptized as adults" {i.e. forcibly converted anusim}. Nothing came of the charges and complains filed against captains Villareal or del Canto, nor of the suspicions regarding Castano de Sosa.

In New Mexico, meanwhile, Fray ALonso de Benavides reported to the Inquisiton on June 29, 1626, that Govenor Juan de Eulate never missed an opportunity to discuss with whoever was present the fall of Bishops and clerics. "The ignorant espanoles of this area" reported the Friar, "had a bad impression of the clergy and the Governor has encouraged them a great deal in these discussions". Fray Benavides identifed Sargent Major Francisco Gomez and Captain Alonso Varela as two of the Governor's closest accomplices who should be penanced by the Inquisition for being the most outspoken [anti-clerical] and opposed to Ecclesiastic authority. The Friar specifically denounced Captain Varela to the Mexico City Inquisition for saying that it was not a sin to lie under oath and that he had done it many times.

Fray Benavides was also very concerned about a Crypto Jew he had personally seen penanced by the Inquisition of Hispanola. The Friar was convinced that New Mexcio resident Donayre de las Misas [i.e Lord Wind of the Masses] was none other than medical doctor Francisco de Soto, a native of the Canary Islands. As reported by Fray Benavides, he was sure of this because he had served as High Constable for the Inquisition of Hispanola and had been present at his torture, penance, reconciliation and exile to Sevilla. Yet, de Soto, now using the insulting name, was living freely in New Mexico and was denying Benavides' assertions. Adding to Benavides' chagrin, the man changed his name to Juan Pecador [i.e John the sinner] when pressured by the Friar. Estevan Perea, a friend of de Soto, was also reprted to the Inquisition by Benavides as suspected of being a Crypto Jew.

Meanwhile, twenty year old Zacatecas-Monterey resident Vicente Guerra Zaldivar, of the economically and politically powerful Perez de Onate-Guerra Reza-Mendoza Zaldivar extended family of the northern kingdoms of the viceregency, paid a meaningless fine for uttering blasphemous and heretical statements because, as noted in 1615 by the Commissioner of the Inquisition of Zacatecas in a letter to the Mexico City based Inquisition, "considering that the accused is an outspoken and daring young man who is very powerful in this area, if he were charged his trial would cause great inconveniences".

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Richard G. Santos earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Mary's University in History and English and a Master of Arts degree in English from Trinity University. While still an undergraduate at St. Mary's, Richard's first book, Santa Ana's Campaign Against Texas, was released by Texian Press of Waco in 1968 and reprinted by R & D Books of Salisbury, North Carolina in 1981. It remains the unchallenged keystone for anyone doing research or interested in the military history of the Texas Revolution and Battle of the Alamo. Since then, Richard has authored, co-authored and written introductions for 30 books, 300 articles [published in the U.S., Mexico, Europe, and Japan], and released two albums and two audio cassettes of Tejano folk music. He has also written and produced 12 film documentaries, and has appeared in numerous documentaries including The West, released by PBS nationally in September 1996. Nine of his books have been used as supplementary readers by a number of school districts and universities in Texas and the Southwest, with some reprints issued by the Texas Education Agency.

Along the way, Richard served as the first Archivist of Bexar County [Texas], Office of County Clerk. Thereafter, he taught full-time and served as Director of Ethnic Studies at Our Lady of the Lake University, and has taught part time at Trinity University, Palo Alto Community College, and the School of Aero Space Medicine at Brooks AFB, all located in San Antonio, Texas. He has also served as consultant and lecturer for the Texas Education Agency, U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of Labor, and numerous school districts and universities throughout Texas and the Southwest. Apart from doing radio programs in English for WOAI and in Spanish for KBUC, Richard was also a weekly columnist for the San Antonio Express-News from 1988 to 1993.

Richard began to lecture and publish articles on the Sephardic New Christians and Crypto Jews of Texas, Mexico and the U.S. Southwest as early as 1968, when the topic was considered controversial. Within ten years, the mistrust of both the Hispanic and Jewish communities had been overcome and Richard was sharing the podium at Trinity University with renown Jewish scholar Seymour Liebman. Later, Richard became a feature speaker at Jewish Historical conferences in San Antonio, El Paso, and Galveston, Texas and Santa Fe, New Mexico as well as Temple Beth El in San Antonio. He has also conducted a mini-course on the Crypto Jews and the Mexican Inquisition at the Jewish Community Center of San Antonio.

Autos de Fe of the Portuguese Conspiracy held by the Holy Office of the Inquisition of Mexico City 1646-1648, is the latest contribution of Richard G. Santos to the field of Crypto Judaic studies.

Fuente: https://web.archive.org/web/20001014033117/http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Crete/1340/lecture.html 

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