To the End of the Earth: A History of the Crypto-Jews of New Mexico

373 Pages·2005·2.39 MB·English

by  Stanley M. Hordes

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To the End of the Earth
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To the End of the Earth
A H I S T O R Y O F T H E C R Y P T O - J E W S
O F N E W M E X I C O
Stanley M. Hordes
C O L U M B I A U N I V E R S I T Y P R E S S
N E W Y O R K
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Columbia University Press
Publishers Since 1893
New York Chichester, West Sussex
Copyright © 2005 Stanley M.Hordes
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hordes, Stanley M.
To the end of the earth :a history of the crypto-Jews ofNew
Mexico / Stanley M.Hordes.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn0-231-12936-X(cloth :alk.paper)
1. Jews—New Mexico—History. 2. Marranos—New Mexico—
History. 3. Sephardim—New Mexico—History. 4. Marranos—
Social life and customs. 5. Jews—Cultural assimilation. 6. Jews—
Identity. 7. New Mexico—Ethnic relations. I. Title.
f805.j5h67 2005
978.9'004924—dc22 2005045455
8Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent and durable
acid-free paper.
Printed in the United States of America
c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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Dedicated to my mother and to the memory of my father,
with gratitude for their support and encouragement
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With deep appreciation to the Estate of Eva Feld for its generosity
in providing the support necessary to complete the research and
writing of this book
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Contents
Foreword by Seth D. Kunin xi
Preface xv
Introduction 1
1 The Origins of Crypto-Judaism on the Iberian
Peninsula, 200 b.c.e.–1492 13
2 The Crypto-Jewish Experience in New Spain,
1521–1649 30
3 The Origins of the First Crypto-Jewish Settlement
in New Mexico: Luis de Carvajal and the Failed
Colony of Gaspar Castaño de Sosa, 1579–1591 72
4 Juan de Oñate and the Participation of
Crypto-Jews in the First Permanent Colony
in New Mexico, 1595–1607 104
5 Franciscans, the Inquisition, and Secret Judaism
in New Mexico, 1610–1680 133
6 The Role of Crypto-Jews in the Life of the
New Mexico Colony, 1680–1846 177
7 Adjustments to Anglo-American Society, 1846–1950 215
8 Vestiges of Crypto-Judaism in New Mexico
at the Turn of the Twenty-first Century 243
Appendix. Pemphigus Vulgaris Among Hispanos
in New Mexico and Its Possible Connection with
Crypto-Jewish Populations 289
Bibliography 297
Index 331