A well-researched history details the story of the Jews who left Spain and Portugal after the start of the Inquisition.

They journeyed to settle in Mexico and New Mexico.

The account provides valuable insights into their experiences and the challenges they faced.

The last two chapters, in particular, focus on their modern-day descendants.

This exploration makes me extremely curious about the hidden and forgotten practices of the Hispanic "conversos" in the Land of Enchantment.

It makes me wonder what traditions and customs have been passed down through the generations, perhaps remaining hidden from the mainstream.

These forgotten practices could offer a unique perspective on the rich and diverse history of the region.

Studying them might help us better understand the complex tapestry of cultures that have contributed to the making of modern-day Mexico and New Mexico.

Overall, this history has piqued my interest and left me eager to learn more about the fascinating world of the Hispanic "conversos" and their hidden heritage.

A wonderful book offers an in-depth look into the lives of 9 families over the course of hundreds of years. It delves into the fascinating world of crypto Jews, a topic that many may not be familiar with.

These crypto Jews, also known as secret Jews, were individuals who had to hide their Jewish identity due to persecution. The book uncovers their stories, revealing the challenges they faced and the lengths they went to in order to preserve their faith and heritage.

Who knew that such a hidden history existed? This book provides a unique perspective and sheds light on a little-known aspect of Jewish history. It is a captivating read that will keep you engaged from beginning to end. Whether you have an interest in history, religion, or simply a good story, this book is definitely worth checking out.

I just re-read this book cover to cover with a different eye. Now that I understand he's talking about MY family, not just a general history of New Mexico.

The flow of the book is truly excellent. It effortlessly guides the reader through the story, making it a highly engaging and enjoyable read.

Moreover, it serves as a remarkable treasure trove of information for New Mexican family history. It provides detailed insights and valuable facts that can help uncover the rich heritage and unique stories of families in the region.

This book is not only a great literary work but also an important resource for those interested in exploring the history and roots of New Mexican families. It offers a fascinating perspective and a wealth of knowledge that is both educational and entertaining.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in New Mexican history or family genealogy. It is a must-read that will surely leave a lasting impression.

While the topic of this book is truly fascinating,

I must admit that I found it to be much too scholarly for my taste.

The level of detail regarding the genealogies and politics of the times was so extensive that it actually made me become impatient.

It seemed as if the author was more focused on presenting a comprehensive and academic account rather than making the content more accessible and engaging for the average reader.

As a result, I often found myself skimming through the pages, eager to get to the parts that were more relevant and interesting to me.

Despite this drawback, I do appreciate the research and effort that went into writing this book.

It is clear that the author has a deep knowledge and understanding of the subject matter.

However, I think that a more balanced approach could have been taken to make the book more enjoyable and beneficial for a wider audience.

When I was residing and employed in Santa Fe, NM, Dr. Hordes was not only a congregant but also a friend. This was three decades ago, yet he was already engaged in the research that culminated in this book. Dr. Hordes, who was the state historian, noticed several occasions where people spoke of Jewish customs and traditions among local Hispanics. Intrigued, he directed his expertise towards learning more.

As a rabbi who had served a Portuguese Jewish congregation in the Caribbean, I had already delved into the history of Iberian Jewry and the Diaspora resulting from the expulsion of Jews from Spain and Portugal in 1492 and later from Portugal. This history enriches our understanding of that particular history in North America. It is highly readable, and I found it utterly fascinating. Moreover, it is an extremely early account of the cultural diversity that is fundamental to comprehending the United States. It ought to be read by anyone who is interested in how persecuted minorities deal with their situation in this country.

It provides valuable insights into the experiences and adaptations of these minorities, shedding light on a significant aspect of American history and society.

The author, an authority on the history of the crypto-Jews in New Mexico, presents his research in a highly engaging and accessible format. Drawn from numerous primary sources, his work delves into the lives of these individuals during the Inquisition in Spain, as well as in Mexico and New Mexico.

Not only does the author provide a detailed account of their experiences, but the extensive notes and bibliography make this book an invaluable reference that can be consulted time and again.

Furthermore, the inclusion of genealogical references adds another layer of significance. These references could prove to be of great value to Hispanic families who suspect that their lineage traces back to the crypto-Jews.

Overall, this book offers a comprehensive and fascinating exploration of a little-known chapter in history, making it a must-read for anyone interested in the subject.

This book offers a comprehensive and detailed account of the migration of Sephardic Jews.

During the Spanish Inquisition, a significant number of these Jews fled from Spain and Portugal. Many of the refugees made their way to Mexico, as well as South America and India.

The book specifically delves into the history of the migration from Spain and Portugal, through Mexico, and ultimately to New Mexico.

Interestingly, a large number of the Sephardic Jews were Crypto-Jews. They had to hide their true faith, and over time, family members lost the understanding of why certain rituals were practiced.

Although many converted to Catholicism, they still continued some Jewish practices such as circumcision or placing Stars of David on their tombstones.

This topic holds personal significance for me as I have Ukrainian Jewish heritage, and my ex-husband's family was originally Portuguese Jews who migrated to North Mexico.

My ex was aware of his Jewish history on his father's side, and this was further confirmed by his uncle when we visited the family in Saltillo, Mexico.

Genetic traits also play a role in validating this family history, with certain diseases being common among people of Jewish ancestry.

Today, there are quite a few observant Sephardic Jews in New Mexico, and more and more people are uncovering their roots and proudly embracing them.

In this captivating book, Stanley Hordes delves into the intriguing question of whether remnants of a "crypto-Jewish" culture, initially brought in by Spanish settlers, still persist in New Mexico.

Scholars have debated the existence and extent of such a sub-culture, and the evidence is admittedly scant. However, Hordes presents a compelling case that some of New Mexico's earliest settlers were crypto-Jews, and that traces of that culture have contributed to shaping its history.

After the reunification of Spain in 1492, Jews were given the ultimatum to convert or emigrate. While some converted wholeheartedly, many did so only in name and continued to practice their faith secretly, earning the label of "crypto-Jews." To enforce religious orthodoxy, Spain established the Inquisition, which aimed to root out these crypto-Jews. Severe cases of crypto-Judaism were punishable by death.

Hordes contends that when Spain began colonizing Central America, some of the new colonists were crypto-Jews. These individuals fled to lands they believed would be beyond the reach of the Inquisition, only to discover that it had been exported to Mexico. According to Hordes, the ability of crypto-Jews to practice their faith fluctuated with the strength of the Inquisition in Mexico. He believes that some crypto-Jews joined the expedition to establish New Mexico in an attempt to escape its reach.

Hordes presents extensive evidence to support the existence of crypto-Jews in Mexico and New Mexico. This evidence includes genealogical records from Spain and Portugal, records of the Inquisition (which documented numerous cases of admitted crypto-Jews), differences in Catholic and Jewish naming patterns, endogamy patterns, evidence of Jewish symbols at gravesites and public places, oral histories, and DNA testing. Although Hordes acknowledges that his proof is not absolute due to the age and lack of records, the cumulative evidence is persuasive as there are no more plausible alternative explanations.

While there is a general consensus on the existence of the subculture, some scholars differ on the details. One dissenting voice, Judith Neuland, has argued at length that Hordes has fabricated a subculture out of his own beliefs.

As a non-professional historian, I cannot definitively say who is right. However, I believe Hordes presents a stronger argument. In any case, this is a fascinating book. Although Hordes' writing style may be somewhat pedestrian, his research is thorough, and the subject matter is engaging enough to draw the reader in.

My family hails from southern Colorado, specifically the San Luis Valley, which culturally shares similarities with northern New Mexico. We are the kind of Chicano sometimes referred to as ‘manitos’ by those in southern New Mexico. I've spent countless hours in the cemeteries of Conejos County, CO, and I'm familiar with many of the surnames discussed in this book. I've even seen several tombstones with Judaic references, including that of my great-great grandmother. A star was carved on her footstone, unnoticed for decades until my father and I were cleaning her fenced-in plot. That was the day my interest in crypto-Judaism was piqued, although it took me many years to finally get to this book.

The book presents several indicators of a Jewish background. For instance, letting the blood of slaughtered animals, especially chickens, spill into the ground. There's also a lot of bathing and grooming on Friday nights. Old testament names are another sign, as well as certain death rites like turning the person's head to the wall just before dying or placing coins, food, or pearls in their mouths to take to the next world. What I found most fascinating is that once the U.S. took the territory and there was religious freedom, many crypto-Jewish families didn't revert to Judaism. Instead, they officially left Catholicism and became Protestants, which gave them more freedom to study the Old Testament. They became Methodists, Presbyterians, Seventh-Day Adventists, or Jehovah's Witnesses.

When tracing your genealogy, if a family lived in Spain and then moved to Portugal or the Canary Islands before emigrating to North America, there's a good chance they were a converso family. If they were part of Juan de Oñate's expedition to what is now northern New Mexico, there's also a possibility they were conversos or crypto-Jews. The author makes a somewhat convincing case that Oñate himself may have been Jewish and was trying to escort as many crypto-Jews as possible beyond the reach of the Inquisition. This includes newly emigrated people sent to reinforce Oñate's community. If your last name was Robledo, Armijo, Duran, Lujan, Rael, Torres, Perea, or Cháves, there was a strong likelihood you were of Jewish origin. 'Rael' was a name that intrigued me as it was probably changed from the Jewish name 'Ysrael'. These families tended to intermarry over several generations and were known for having professions associated with conversos, such as mercantilism and banking. Interestingly, when white settlers, including Germanic Ashkenazi Jews, came from the east coast, they didn't recognize any Jewish qualities among the inhabitants of this area, either because they didn't mix socially enough to notice family customs or because they weren't looking for fellow Jews.
In my family history, we have a Gurulé. My aunts often mentioned they were French, but without any proof other than what their father had said. When we read "Origins of New Mexico Families: A Genealogy of the Spanish Colonial Period", we were excited to read about Jacques Grolet, a Frenchman who had wandered over from Texas after an unsuccessful French excursion from what is now Louisiana. The author of this book expands the narrative, placing him with three other soldiers. One of them, Jean l’Archivéque, Hispanicized his name to Juan Archibeque, and Grolet's name became Santiago Gurulé. Upon further research, the author determined that their hometowns in France were known for being settling places for New Christians fleeing Portugal. This is what I love about this book - it combines exhaustive research with a bit of conjecture to create a cohesive story and paint a vivid picture of the time and place. In contrast, "Origins of New Mexico Families: A Genealogy of the Spanish Colonial Period" is mostly two separate lists (17th & 18th Centuries) of family names in alphabetical order.
This book has explained so many things about my family, especially the religious schisms that occurred in the early 20th century and affected our associations, like those who became Seventh-Day Adventists. It also clarifies why certain parts of my family (converso vs. mestizo) looked the way they did. Overall, it has given me a broader understanding of life during that time and has given me hope for the endurance of a culture that seemed to have vanished, which is often how I feel about the San Luis Valley in general.

The research presented is very well documented, and it is truly fantastic. Hordes, who was New Mexico's State Historian, began to hear about the descendants of Sephardic Jews living among the people of New Mexico. He delved into an almost unknown history of the Hispanics of New Mexico and their ancestors' incredible journeys into the untamed lands of the region.

The long reach of the Spanish Inquisition managed to demand the return of some to be tried as Judaizers. However, due to the great distance, many more were able to survive. Today, many New Mexicans are able to trace their ancestry back to the few Spanish families of the original "entradas".

With the help of his meticulous research, which Hordes and his many collaborators have conducted, more people are uncovering their real roots. His early knowledge of Spanish enabled him to explore the archives of Mexico, Spain, and Portugal and piece together a captivating story about the Crypto Jews in the US, Mexico, and elsewhere after the Spanish Diaspora in the 1400s and 1500s.

This research not only sheds light on an important aspect of history but also helps individuals connect with their past and understand their cultural heritage.