Wichita State University
Crypto-Jews
An oral tradition among crypto-Jewish communities maintained altered fragmented versions of a few traditional prayers in Spanish and phrases of transliterated Hebrew. They read the "Old Testament" in Catholic Bibles to gain insight into the faith of their ancestors. However, crypto-Jews in Mexico and elsewhere also relied on a body of religious poetry and prayers created within their community, which connected them to Judaism. Since Mexican crypto-Jews needed to be seen as practicing Catholics, the poems and prayers were only recited in private. Children, who in many cases were being raised as Catholic, were excluded until adulthood, because they could innocently give away their Jewish identity. The dissemination of these religious practices in the public domain brought grave consequences. Despite their caution, many were exposed by their servants and outwardly Catholic relatives and were charged as Judaizantes (Judaizers), tried by tribunals, tortured, and martyred by the Inquisition. Individuals suspected of being Judaizers were brought before the tribunal for questioning, where they would have to calculate whether to confess, and if so, to what actions. Often unsatisfied with initial interviews, the Mexican Inquisition would recall the accused and hold them in prisons, funded by the accused's family, as long as it took to determine the validity of their statements. Incarceration could extend to months and years, with many of the accused dying in prison before the resolution of their cases. Others were tortured, or worse yet, their family members might be accused by the Inquisition of corollary charges, jailed, and tortured. Those that confessed to minor Jewish practices might be heavily fined and then processed in large public events known as auto de fés. Thereafter, they would be watched by the authorities for the rest of their lives, often being brought before the tribunal again. Others were less fortunate and were condemned to be burned at the stake. The inquisitors were meticulous in gathering culpatory information from the testimonies. Scattered throughout trial transcripts from Mexico City are religious poems and prayers that crypto-Jews created or retained. The prisoners were compelled by the Inquisitors to sing or recite the poems and prayers during testimony in open court as part of their confession. Inquisitors frequently introduced these texts as evidence against the accused.