When Spanish King Fernando II and Queen Isabel issued the Edict of Expulsion in 1492,
Jews were given the choice of emigrating or converting to Christianity. Judaism was
effectively outlawed. Many of these converts, the meshumadim, were sincere. Others,
known as the anusim, felt that they were forced to convert and be baptized, but lived
outwardly as practicing Catholics. All of the converts or conversos were considered
suspect of heresy by the Holy Office of the Inquisition, even when they held positions
of importance in the Church or government, whether they remained in Spain or emigrated
to the viceroyalties and colonies of the empire. Those who practiced Judaism in secret
were called crypto-Jews. They were unable to speak of their beliefs or practice their
religion publicly for fear of Inquisitorial imprisonment and torture, and of being
condemned to death and execution by secular authorities. Without the benefit of taking
physical copies of the Torah and other Hebrew-language texts, crypto-Jews who immigrated
illegally to the Viceroyalty of New Spain (hereafter referred to as Mexico) lost their
connection to the Hebrew language and most Jewish religious practices.
