The Secret Society: Descendants of Crypto-Jews in the San Antonio ...

never return … [or] incur the punishment of death and the confiscation of
all their property to our exchequer and treasury, and these penalties are
incurred by that same fact and law with no other trial nor sentence nor
declaration. 7
After the announcement of the decree, the Jews of Spain had to make a very hard
decision that would alter their future and the future of their descendants: to either leave or
convert.
While approximately 50,000 Jews chose to leave the kingdom, about the same
number chose to stay and convert. But what were the advantages of staying in a
threatening country? It must be kept in mind that Jewish families had lived on the Iberian
Peninsula for countless generations and many people had ties to the land and culture. To
be thought of by the government as foreigners and strangers in their ancestors’ land
probably seemed unbelievable to the Jews. Since they were not given much time to
leave, the country it was difficult to sell animals and properties. Also, the Jews were not
allowed to “remove gold nor silver nor coined money nor the other things prohibited in
the laws of our realms save for items of merchandise that are not forbidden or commerce
in bills of exchange.” 8 To get off the peninsula, Jews had to either travel extreme
distances by land or take ships which were always in danger of sinking or being attacked
by pirates. Another challenge was also in finding a nation to travel to. Many European
countries such as France, England, Italy, and Germany were not accepting Jewish
immigrants. 9 Although it was dangerous to stay in the Spanish Empire and publicly
convert to Catholicism, many Jews saw this as their best option and took the risk. At
further risk to their safety, many of these conversos chose to practice the Jewish
traditions, as did those whose descendants still live in San Antonio. However, if they
were ever caught “judaizing” by the Inquisition they would be tortured and burned alive.
The Discovery of the New World (aka the Crypto-Jewish Haven)
After analyzing how conversos were created, the next important question is: how
did they get to San Antonio? As the Jews were being expelled from the Iberian Peninsula
in 1492, Christopher Columbus coincidentally was on the verge of discovering the New
World for the Spanish Empire. This new land would later prove to be a haven for the
remaining crypto-Jews. In an interesting twist, the New World could not have been
discovered without the Jews and there are even suspicions, although controversial, that
Columbus himself was a crypto-Jew. 10 After the discovery of the new overseas empire,
many New Christians saw this as their opportunity to escape the persecution of the
Inquisition and start a new life.
Jewish involvement in overseas exploration was invaluable, and with increasing
persecution and rumors of expulsion it may not have been merely coincidence. Even
Columbus’ translator, Luis de Torres, was a known converso and succeeded in becoming
the first European to step foot in the New World. 11 (Colombus’ original plan was to sail
7 Ibid, Beinart, The Expulsion of the Jews From Spain, 50-51.
8 Ibid, 51.
9 Ibid, 138-9.
10 M Keysterling, Christopher Columbus and the Participation of the Jews in the Spanish and Portuguese
Discoverie, (New York, Longsman, Green, and Co, 1907).
11 Cecil Roth, A History of the Marranos (New York, Meridian Books, 1960) 272.
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