The “old Jews” of Mexico come out after 500 years
15 May 2011… to those coming to this site from “News Cottage Three”: while you might actually learn something from this post, but not anything that’s going to confirm the nonsense (if that’s the right word for such ahistorical and frankly un-American — as well as anti-human — screeds) that seem to be the base of your belief systems. They are moronic on so many levels, I don’t even know where to begin. How about this?
FUCK OFF!
After being linked to an anti-semitic post on Craig’s list,I changed the comments settings to require approval from any new commentators and to flag some “key” words that might be used in normal discussions. Apologies in advance for any minor inconveniences. However, if you’re looking for confirmation of some moronic racist ideology, go elsewhere.
While I hope those that read through these posts learn something about Mexican history and culture, and normally welcome comments (even misguided ones), it’s my website, and I’m free to censure, censor and/or ridicule as I see fit.
…………
When I started studying Mexican history, I was surprised at how many of the early colonial leaders were “conversos”… Spanish Jews (or their children) who had to convert or leave Spain after Isabel’s conquest of Granada in January 1492. A good chunk of northern Mexico, including what’s now Texas and New Mexico were settled by Tlaxcalan and Converso pioneers (the New Mexico “Spanish” are nearly all of Jewish ancestry, according to recent DNA studies).
Shep Lenchek’s invaluable three-part series for Mexico Connect, “Jews in Mexico: A Struggle for Survival” notes that while most Mexican Jews are descended from immigrants who arrived between 1888 and 1939, there have always been “Crypto-Jews”:
The “Conversos” were under increasing pressure from the Inquisition. Looking for a place in which they could retain their Spanish identity, they focused on Mexico. In 1531 large numbers of them left Spain and Portugal for the New World.
The inquisition had not yet come to Nueva Espagna and the new arrivals soon married into prominent Mexican families, became priests and bishops and enjoyed a 40 year period during which time, many began to practice Judaism openly. Doctors, lawyers. notaries-public, tailors, teachers and silversmiths, they brought much needed skills to the new colony and were well received. They settled in Vera Cruz, Campeche, Oaxaca, Guadalajara, Morelia and Mexico City.
Conversos were not overtly persecuted, but were eventually assimilated into the general population.
The Inquisition was never as virulent in Mexico as it was in Spain, where more than 4,000 people were burned at the stake. Many more were imprisoned for the “Jewish Heresy.” Massacres were instigated that took thousands of lives. By contrast, between 1571 when the Inquisition was established in Mexico and 1821 when it ended, only about 110 people were actually burned at the stake. Perhaps the same number died under torture or in prison, either awaiting trial or after sentencing. There were no popular outcries against Jews. The Inquisition was imposed from Spain. It cannot be blamed on Mexicans.
It’s to the honor of Mexico to report that Lenchek notes:
The only recorded incidents of official anti-Semitism came in the 1930′s. Suffering from a depression, Mexican labor unions pressured the government to enact restrictions on “Chinese and Jewish” immigration. Later in the same decade, neo-Nazi right wingers, financed from Berlin, staged anti-Jewish demonstrations in Mexico City. But not a single act of violence against Jews or Jewish property can be documented.
Which isn’t to say that the “crypo-Jews” weren’t at a disadvantage when it came to remaining Jewish. But 500 years after the Conquest, some are rediscovering their roots… as Roberto Loiederman wrote for the Jewish Journal (posted on New American Media, 16-March-2007) :
… he told me he was going to visit a group of Mexicans practicing Judaism on their own — no rabbi, no shul — it sounded fascinating; I asked if I could come along.I wondered what had led these people — born into Catholic families — to follow Judaism. More than that, I wanted to see Judaism through their eyes. What do they feel when they say the prayers? What is the source of their faith?This was not the first time I’d asked these questions. During the High Holidays, I had attended services at Beth Shalom, where a vibrant group of Latino converts has revitalized that shul.
…Dr. Mario Espinoza, a Mexicali obstetrician-gynecologist, spoke about his certainty that he’s descended from Jews forcibly converted to Christianity centuries ago. He used the Hebrew word anousim (constrained people or forceably converted) rather than Marranos, which means “swine.”
For Mexicans who trace their lineage to anousim, the Inquisition is not ancient history. It continued in Latin America, including Mexico, from the 1500s until the 1800s. During that period, those whose ancestors had been forced to convert from Judaism to Christianity were harassed, tortured and sometimes killed if they were discovered to have continued Jewish practices, which is why those practices continued in secret, if at all.
… Lucia Espinoza mentioned a grandmother who lit candles on Friday night. Lupe Medrano said that when she looked through her late grandfather’s effects, she found a tallit hidden in a box.…
The group that has coalesced around the Medrano home is not the only one like it in Mexico. Far from it. The Web site of Beth Hatefutsoth, the Israel Diaspora Museum in Tel Aviv, lists a number of communities of “native Mexican Jews” — located in various parts of Mexico — who trace their origins to anousim.
How many descendants of anousim are there?
“It’s hard to figure out exactly,” said Rabbi Stephen Leon of Congregation B’nai Zion in El Paso, just across the border from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. “I’d only be guessing, but I’d say the number is very large. I have personally ministered to 40 such families. In the 20 years I’ve been here, not a week goes by that I don’t meet someone who tells me about childhood memories of crypto-Jewish practices.”
The Diaspora Museum Web site points out that even after converting to Judaism, “native Mexican Jews” have not been accepted by “traditional Mexican Jews,” nearly all of whom are Orthodox and descended from those who immigrated to Mexico from Europe and the Middle East in the early 1900s.
I lived and worked in the El Paso-Juarez area for four years during the seventies. After returning to San Francisco, I frequently visited friends and family in Juarez, but it just never crossed my mind to seek out or visit local Temples until recently. (I have been in Juarez for three months since May, staying with family.) I was surprised to find that in a city of three million people, no Temple or reference to anything Jewish could be found in the directory. I have not encountered anything remotely like antisemitism, but mention of a Temple or Synagogue or anything Jewish brings blank stares or puzzled looks, as though I were inquiring about UFOs or extraterrestrials.
The all too typical problems of being Jewish in Mexico’s past do not really explain – to me – the complete absence of Judaism in Juarez today. It would seem that Judaism in Juarez has been canceled due to lack of interest. What’s going on?
Ted Davis
tdavis37@aol.com
Well, actually Juarez only has about 1.4 million people. If to that you add the 700-800 thousand in El Paso, then you have a population a little over two million in what’s called “la mancha urbana”, and if you put the two cities together then you would have to consider the Synagogue (s) in El Paso and the Holocaust museum and the small but growing Lubavitch community. I know that jewish famlies from Juarez used to come to El Paso to visit the Temple, so maybe they never saw the need to erect one over there, afterall we’re just one city divided by a river…
I am now 41 years old and since I was a young boy, a little over 8, I was told we were Jews but not to say a word to the world. I will always considered myself a Jew and my wife celebrates the High Holy Days with me. My daughter’s name is Mariana Shavit(almost 2) and my son’s name is Moshe( 5 months). The Mo’el was Dr. Land, a Reformed Jew, and a dear friend of our family. I have a lot to share with you but what my ancestors did, I am alive. May Hashem smile upon you.
Todah Rabah,
Manuel
You are correct about the Jewish blood lines of families from northeast Mexico and southwest Texas. I discovered that I was one of the descendants. I also have Tlaxcala ancestry. My mother’s ancestors included Tomas Sanchez, founder of Laredo, Texas and Joaquin Galan, whose 300,000 acres of land was stolen by Americans starting in 1850. Recent research by several authors have shown that Tomas Sanchez was also descended from numerous royal lines from many European countries like Spain, France, England, Germany, Poland, Hungary, etc. making us truly a cosmic race.
whats your mothers last name
Hello Joel Jacquez,
You have confirmed my suspicions of what had taken place in the family. My last name is Laredo, ancestry stems back to the region of Santander. Descendants also are found in the Philippines. The Philippines was a penal colony for Jews running away from the inquisition. It was a the last place of hiding from the competing Dominicans, Franciscan, and Augustinians.
I was born in Cd. Juarez and lived between the two cities (El Paso) until the age the 10. This message is for Ramon Alvarado. Are you a native of El Paso? Are you related to Victor and Maria Alvarado?
i am descended on two sides from people who settled los adaes in today’s louisiana. when settled as part of nuevo espana, it was in the state of texas-coahuila. although brought up roman catholic, my rearing definitely points to jewdaism. other than my grandfather telling me that his grandfather came from pachuga, hidalgo they covered their trail well, (out of fear) and thus far i cannot connect the dots. HELP!!!!
Does anyone in Cotija de la Paz know anything of anyone named Valencia migrating to the Philippines in the 19th century? My greatgreatgrandmother was a Valencia and Hispanic but none of us trace ancestry to Spain. Valencia is supposed to be a Sephardic name.
Hola unica hija, I have no idea if people immigrated from Cotija de la paz but my husband’s family is directly related to Guizar y Valencia and also from that town, that family is 100 percent jewish, they converted to christianity only to avoid prosecution but either became priests or married within the family to retain the bloodline. email him at mexicankiwi@hotmail.com for more info.
Thanks, Jenne. will do.
I was just told by an elderly family member that our mexican ancestors were in fact Jews (I am a second generation american; our family name is Alvarado). They never mentioned this because they were forced out of the country due to harassment when Pancho Villa took control (?). She mentioned that they were ‘conversos’, and she was catholic, although I never once saw her attend mass or go to church. I am somewhat confused and wondering if there is a way to research this. Any help would be appreciated.
My Name is Jim Reforma, is it possible that my surname is also surname of the great greatgrandfather who’s surname is Reforma who lives in el paso?
We are like the sparks, embers and small flickers of flame that get blown away in the wind from a larger flame. Hashem is slowly gathering and bringing all of us together again. Our minds – our eyes are being opened. The generation of lost souls is being gathered again in this the New Generation.
Beautifully stated
I was brought up in a family that was different, from other families. My father and mother, never went to church, but she would make us go every Sunday. My grandfather and grandmother
were the same they never went. They my grandparent never celebrated christmas, to them
it was like any other day. They would tell us that pork was very bad for you, so don’t eat it. My grandmother would light candles in her room. They would never allow strangers in their home, it was always family. She would tell us about the
evil eye, el mal ojo. My surnames are Jimenez, Garcia, Granado.
Sounds similar to my situation.
During my genealogical research I have found that judaism runs in my family.My mother was from Durango Mex.She was Cardenas before her marriage. I have seen that name in the list of the inquisition.Her mother was an Ortiz, another jewish name, etc. On my father’s side, from Chihu. Mexico, I also find that there is a jewish connection with the name Hernandez.My mother used to make bunuelos when we were young, a sephardic food,along with capirotada, another sephardic food.She also cooked goat,which seems to have ties to judaism.However, her or my grandmother never spoke a word about judaism,maybe they were crypto jews.
Where can I view the list of names during the inquisition.
thanks for these posting it shows me that i am not alone in this quest for trueth,I am well aware of the feelings and plight of my people ,” The children of the anousim”.here in texas and mexico.I know that there are millions with the same cultura sefardita.we know who we are we know our people came from the holyland eretz Israel .My mother passed in the year 2000.before she passed she explained to me that judeismo is a religion and a people.Not only are we that but we are a special chosen people to do a work in this world. Thank you for all your up lifting comentarios shalom a todos. manny ramirez.
I have not found my surnames, Ortiz,Cardenas,Hernandez,in ay of the lists, therefore I am assuming my jewish origin. I did find Ayon on the list and have also seen that name on the list of inquisition victims. Can anyone suggest anything?
Hi Robert,
I took the liberty of looking up all three of the surnames you are looking for at http://www.sephardim.com and I found all three listed there – Cardenas, Hernandez and Ortiz. You should view this website and you will find a lot of info that will help you in your search. When you go to the website click on the search names , from there it will take you to another page and you will be able to view the exhaustive list of hispanic surnames with sephardic roots. I wish you all the best as your search continues.
Ortiz was my husband’s grandmother’s last name, and he is a Sephardic Jew from Puerto Rico.
I am currently researching my ancestral roots and I continue to see things come to light – bits and pieces here and there. When I read that buneulos and capirotada were sephardic foods my heart rejoiced – these are foods I grew up eating in my childhood. My maternal grandmother and great grandparents were all from the Tlaxcalilla, Mexico region and their surnames are all Sepahrdic. I am awaiting my DNA results to reveal definitively what I truly believe is my Jewish heritage. Ironically enough, I always felt a pull towards Jewish things all my life. My husband is Jewish and we are observant, keep kosher etc… I feel like we as Hispanics are coming into the knowledge of who we really are.
Me too!
Regarding capirotada,I find that that is very common with a;; kinds people.Can anyone trace the origin of that recipe?
I found my mother’s maiden name. (Lazaro). On this website: http://www.sephardim.com/search.shtml (the one post a few comments above me). Iv’e always known of the Jewish presence in Mexico, which although not as significant, or at least widely known, has deep roots since the very beginnings of colonial times. I am not the typical person, who is ignorant about Mexico’s history, or origins.
My question is, what does this mean? One possibility I believe is, me most likely being a Mestizo, has an Native male ancestor on my mother’s side, who was given this name by the Spanish. Or, it could have been that the name got carried on by a Spanish male ancestor of mine, of possibly Jewish heritage or origin?
I deeply appreciate this post, as Iv’e witnessed that the Native American heritage of Many Mexicans, is always being “over mentioned”, it’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it makes us forget or ignore our other “sides”, if any (Mexico being racially diverse, and just as diverse it’s history!) I just wish all Mexicans would open their eyes, and become more interested, our aware of all our different origins.
Christian in regard to your latest post and your request for further info on the surname Lazaro here is what I found: I went to http://www.sephardim.com again and I went to section VI – Family Heraldry & Origins. According to that info the last name Lazaro was supposed to be preceded by “de”, for example it would have been Franco de Lazaro. It is a patriarchal surname and one meant to show that patriarchal lineage. The last name was very popular in Spain and if you check out the website you will see the different family crests that were associated with the last name.
What I find most interesting is that in Judaism a son is always referred to in the following way : Yakov ben David – Jacob son of David. The same concept is carried out – patriarchal homage. I would encourage you to do dna to really zero in on your Jewish heritage – I did mine and I thought for sure it would show all my
Sephardic roots, boy was I surprised when it showed up Ashkenazi (Eastern European Jewry). There are currently many Hispanic Jews that are in the process of trying to figure out exactly how they ended up with Sephardic last names yet their dna shows up Ashkenazi. If you have further questions post them and I’ll help you if I can. Best wishes on your search. Shalom
Although Ashkenazi Jews lived in Eastern Europe for some quite time, there was very little intermixing with the non-Jewish population due to custom, religious practices, and living apart from the non-Jewish population (the Jews lived only amongst other Jews in their own communities or Shtettles), and so genetically Ashkenazi are not Eastern European. Ashkenazim have genetic markers which are most closely related to southern Italians. Jews lived throughout the Roman Empire in ancient times and made up a considerable percentage of the population of Southern Italy. At that time proselytizing non-Jews to become Jewish was common as was inter-marriage and intermixing with the local population. So, as an Ashkenazi Jew, even though your ancestors lived in Eastern European, you are likely part Southern Italian (or Greek). Your ancestors likely ended up with Sephardic last names because Jews moved around a lot throughout history due to persecution and because many were merchants and they often adapted their last names for the country they moved to. For example, the name Cohen in Turkey became Erkohen. Another interesting tidbit: the name Ashkenazi is usually a Sephardic name, however, it is the name of families who moved from Ashkenazi countries to Sephardic countries. In any case, welcome back to all my Sephardic and Ashkenazi Hispanic brothers and sisters. Your return further enriches our culture. God bless you. Andrew (in New York)
Names. As far as name goes,especially surnames, I just wonder if most of us from Latin America and also Mexico. I wonder if the majority of us received our names from the spaniards. Thus we must ask ourselves, are we really of jewish descent or was that the name of the spaniards who gave us these names. Does anybody really know?
The last name, Hernandez, is one of the common surnames given to the Indians by their Spanish masters. Unless one is Hernandez and a White person, perhaps, that would indicate European ancestry; other than that the last name is not original. I am Hernandez from my mother’s side but I am not using that last name to find my ancestry; rather, I am focusing on my father’s side, Huerta, which according to Sephardim.com, is Jewish but who knows. There’s a story that says that in order to baptize hundreds of Indians at the same time, Catholic priests would gather a crowd of them and throw blessed water to the people by saying, “I baptize you with the last name Hernandez, then would turn to another crowd and say, “I baptize you with the last name Perez,” and so forth. I’d say that Veracruz state is the land of the Hernandez but not as original last name but as an arbitrary given name. Now, Huerta is another whole story that I need to discover.
Hi I have recently discoverd my Jewishness. I wanted to know if there was anyone from Southern New Mexico, El Paso, CD Juarez area with the surnames Avina or Avenia, Bustos, or De Castro, these are the surnames of my Great Great Grandfather who dissapread from Jalisco around 1900 – 1910
my father, ramon hernandez, was from santa rosalia de las cuevas, chihuahua mexico.Again, there has never been a trace of judaism in him.but it’s true the name is on the inquisition victims.does anyone know how to do research on these victims. usually i use family search.org,but with my grandfather pascual cardenas and felipe ortiz,both from cosala sinaloa and nothing.could that be because of the inquisition?people in that era did not admit ties of judaism.
FYI – if you find your surnames in the list provided at the website I aforementioned then you need to start working your way backwards – start with the side which you believe carries the Jewish heritage, whether it be matriarchal or patriarchal. Obtain as much info as you can from your oldest relatives – they will be the key since they can privide you with info that may seem insignificant, however you will discover that they offer a plethora of info which is often just a small tidbit that can start your search off in the right direction. Go to websites that offer you info for specific states, countries etc… once you do this then you need to zero in on that particular place and 9 out of 10 times you will find the surnames you are looking for. From that point on it will be the domino effect. One piece will unfold after another – all you have to do is follow the surnames on the birth, baptism, marriage and death certificates. One thing which you must keep in mind – during the Spanish Inquisition Spanish Jews were either killed, converted or expelled from Spain. For those who faced expulsion they spread all over Europe and eventually came to the new world. I cannot stress enough the importance of reading the history of the Inquisition so that one can grasp a better understanding of how we arrived to be who we are presently. Most people are not aware of the fact that when Columbus came to the new world that his “sailors” were all Jews who were forced by the Inquisition to be the crew – that was their punishment. These men knew that they would never once again see their families. As you study the Inquisition you will see that the Jews suffered enormously and frankly many decided to hide their Jewishness or simply converted. You will need to prepare yourselves because many of us Hispanics grew up Catholic and once you start reading what the Catholic church did to our ancestors you will find yourselves at a fork in the road – which will you choose? Will it be to embrace the Jewish heritage that our ancestors were forced to give up or simply adhere to that which you have always followed? Will you forgive those who did heinous things in the name of G-d against our Jewish ancestors? As someone who just observed Yom HaShoah (Day of Remembrance) for the Holocaust I can tell you firsthand that there is greater power in forgiveness than there is in hatred. Many of the things that were committed against Jews in the Holocaust were a repeat of what had taken place 500 years before by the Inquisition – the Inquisition rounded up Jews to live in “quarters”, Nazi Germany rounded up Jews to live in the ghettos, Inquisition forced Jews to wear the yellow Sanbenito or dunce hats, Nazi Germany forced Jews to wear the yellow Star of David badge and yellow arm band. I could go on and on…As one who has discovered her Jewish ancestry I know that with me and my family lineage we have come full circle – restoration of that which was stolen from us for generations – our TRUE identity and faith.
After running one’s DNA, where would be a good place to send the results to be analyzed? Sylvia, I noticed you had your DNA run, any suggestions?
Thank you,
Gil
Gil there are many places that offer dna testing, however the best place to go to is http://www.familytreedna.org. They offer different levels of testing, depends on how extensive you want it to be that will determine the price you pay. They will send you the kit and you mail it back to them for analysis. It takes about 5-7 weeks for your results. In order to get your mother’s side dna you will need to either have her tested or your sister, which ever applies because your dna test will not reveal that maternal dna info since males do not carry that genetic info. Your dna test will reveal info from your father’s side – males and females carry different genetic info. Even if you come across different web sites that offer dna testing for a lesser price do not do it – they are not as comprehensive as the website that I suggested. Hope this info steers you in the right direction. Once you get your dna results post a comment on this site. You will be surprised beyond measure with the results…I certainly was.
Achei os nomes da família de meus avós maternos, de Oliveira na lista do site, http://www.sepharadim.com/seach.shtml e descobri o porque de meu avô guardar o sábado e não comer carne de porco.
Hello to all,
I just found my mother’s maiden name, Padron on sephardim.com as well as my grandmoter’s maiden name, Zapata…I don’t have the slightest clue on where to start a search to see whether I actually have Jewish ancestors or not…This is something I’m very interested in finding out…Do any of you know anything about these surnames?
Thank you very much for your help.
Shalom
Carlos when I read your surname on your post I knew immediately that you are definitely of Jewish ancestry. Your last name “Eli’el” translates into this in Hebrew – Eli means “My G-d (in Hebrew one does not spell out the name, instead where the “o” would go one hyphenates like I did) and el means – G-d. So your surname literally means – My G-d, G-d. Indeed a very sephardic last name. I went to sephardim.com and took the liberty of plugging in the surnames you listed. When you look up the surnames you will see numbers or perhaps an asterisk * beside the name, scroll up to the the top to see what the numbers or asterisk mean. I looked up Zapata and saw that your surname is found in two books: “Sangre Judia” (Jewish Blood) by Pere Bonnin and in “Secrecy & Deceit: The Religion of Crypto-Jews” by David Gitlitz. I also saw that the Zapata surname had several family crests attached to it. When you go to the homepage for Sephardim.com you will see roman numerals besides different search engines – go to the section titled : Section VI – Family Heraldry & Origins – hit the icon for the letter “Z” and scroll down to see all of the crests asscociated with the surname Zapata – it will be very interesting to see what part of Spain your family came from. Do the same for surname Padron. I live in the East Coast and it would bring me great joy to assist you in your search. If I can be of further help please let me know. I am curious, what prompted you to start looking into your Jewish ancestry? Were there family customs that have been passed down and now they are coming to light? You are embarking on a very exciting journey – Mazel Tov!
I am desperate to find my family. I was adopted and I want to find my eight brothers and sisters. Their names are Humberto, Octavio, Maria, Manuel and Ruben. I don’t remember the rest of my siblings names, b/c I was only 4 or 5 when I was given away. I was born in Rio de Golondrinas, high in the Sierra Madre in the state of Chihuahua. I was taken to Cd Juarez across the border from El Paso, Texas. My biological mother’s name was Ana Maria Madrid and my father’s name was Isaac Villalobors Acosta. If you are out there, please contact me. It is very important!
My father is from Puebla and Ive always been told that we have Jewish roots from Spain going back 4 centuries. I checked a name list and most of my father’s family surnames are on the list . Some of our family traditions and first names difinately fit the mold. Carolina
My grandfather was named Isaac Perez and he married Maria de los Angeles Garcia. My father, Jose Perez Garcia, somehow lost his father’s name when he cam to the states in the 1940s. I am wondering if Isaac Perez and his family were known in the durango mexico area?
I had a paternal Y test done through Family Tree DNA. My Hernandez results came back indicating a Mediterranean/Semitic Y origin. My closest genetic marker matches are Askenazi and Sephardic Jews, born in Turkey, Russia, Hungary, Syria, Sicily, Lebanon, Iraq etc. Both my Mom and Dad were born in the state of Coahuila. So the geneticists have told me I have a Jewish heritage, although I am not a practicing Jew by faith. To the contrary I come from a very super zealous Catholic upbringing. It was not unusual that me and siblings went to Catholic services more than once a week.
Glad most have you have found Family Tree DNA which is by far and away the largest Sephardic Jewish database of all DNA Services. Ones name does not make one Jewish although both surnames and origins do make for interesting research. For those who desire to make this more than ancentral study and seek to regress/return to their Jewish ancestry there are resources available through all currents within the Jewish world. For those who see this as nothing more than table talk or interesting history, I wish them the best. However for those who desire transparent recognized options in seeking a return to their roots feel free to contact me and I will help you with options in your search for your proper truth. After all that is what Jews do.
Ron Cohen
External Relations
Centro Cultural Hebreo de Mexicali
aka Mexicali Jewish Community
Hello Ron,
What are the other resources one can utilize to assist them w/finding ones roots?
I am at a dead end unfortunately. We had our son’s DNA tested, but as you know
the female DNA can only trace the maternal line, so I have no clue of my paternal
line. My brother is not interested in this, nor are my cousins. I don’t know what
else to do. I found that my paternal grandmother and grandfather came from
Zacatecas (SP?). His last name was Flores and her’s was Medrano. That is all I know.
Flores is a popular Spanish surname, whereas, Medrano I’m not so sure.
On my mother’s maternal side I am Native American. Which one who knows!
My mother’s side all came from California, and Guanajuato, MX. My mother’s
maiden name is Montez, (although her dad’s BC reads Montes), my grandmother
was Molano and great-grandmother was Mindola (she came from Guanajuato.
Any advise or assistance would be so greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Shalom,
Cindy
I live in San Diego, Ca. not far from MEXICALI. Would like to make
contact with Ron Cohen, occasionally I go to Mexicali to visit friends. I wish to convert to orthodox Judaism, how would I go about
it?
Raul Gonzales
i have my father and grandmother surname
my grand mother is from the harlingen,tx,
matamoros, mx area, any info on that last name?
i forgot to say my grand mother first name is:
alejandra , my father first name is santiago ,,
thanks much.
hello evryone.i recently was made aware of the large jewish presence in spain before the inquisition and am absolutely fascinated it.both rodriguez and my grandmothers name pereda are listed on sephardic surname lists.problem is tracing fathers family as know very little about them except they were from xalapa mexico.my fathers fathers 1st name was manuel and apparently the family at 1 time were very wealthy in xalapa.if any1 has any info about my family feel free to contact me at patrick_manuel62@yahoo.com.thank you
hello again.my father had 2 brothers and 2 sisters, ricardo, humberto, pilar, and azucena.thank you
Hello everyone, it was but a couple months ago when it occured to me that I might have jewish ancestry. I came to the conclusion after much thought. Now I am 99% sure of this. What helped me see this was 1. the areas in mexico where my family is from was inhabited by jewish families. 2. Some family last name that I have found are said to be jewish. 3. My grandparents and greatgrandparents on both sides weren’t poor, they were middle class families. 4. other information that i have found on the internet. My family is from Michoacan. It goes from Los Reyes, Zamora, Santa Clara, Cotija, Jiquilpan, and up north to Guadalajara Jalisco. the first name of one of my greatgrandpa’s is Tiburcio. the last names in both sides of my family are; GARCIA, LUA, MADRIGAL, CEJA, GRANADOS, GUITERREZ, LUPIAN, FIGUEROA, YEPEZ, ESTRADA, BETANCOURT,ALVARADO, CARDENAS and others that I can’t remember right now. I really wish I could have a DNA test done, but since I’m still in school I dont have the money and my parents aren’t supportive of this idea. If any of you have any info on my surnames or any other information please share!!!
thank you
Bianca,
My mother’s family is from the same region you mention, and we even share three last names: LUA, GRANADOS, and LUPIAN, though the last one is only a distant relation. Some of the things you mention can be attributed to the fact that we were of Spanish and maybe even Portuguese background, along with Native Mexican of course. But I’ve found some customs from my grandmother that may hint to a forgotten Jewish past. I have a strong belief that my maternal grandmother’s side is of Anusim (converso) descent, but this of course is forgotten. Our last names, on my mother’s side, are LOPEZ, DIAZ, REYES, GRANADOS, LUA. LUA is our direct line in my mother’s mother’s ancestor. I’ve already done DNA testing and if we are related my results may help you. So, hopefully you still check this board, and if so feel free to contact me privately.
By the way, my father’s side of the family is from Israel. Also, by the way again, Inquisition records are great, but they only record people who were accused or convicted of some “heresy”. If the families never got caught, there would be no records of them in the inquisition.
I wish I knew as much about my family as you do of yours. I actually believe I came across a post of yours while surfing the internet a while back and I believe you mentioned something about your grand parents being from Cuameo and surrounding areas??? My paternal family lives in the village of El rincon del chino which is right below Cuameo…and I know for sure that one of my great grandmothers was from Cuameo her name was Hermelinda Alvarado..I don’t know if she is also Lua
Hi Levi,
I hope you get this message, I would love to get in contact with you regarding the last name Lua.
Thank you,
Eli
Hello. I’m originally from Los Angeles, CA, but I currently reside in El Paso, TX. My entire family is from that region of Michoacan. As far as I can say most of the people there are Sephardic decendants. My family is mostly Sephardic from what I’ve found out. My grandma told me that in her family milk and meat products were strictly kept seperate. They covered the mirrors of their houses when someone died, and baptized their children at 8 days old, among other things. My last names are Ruiz, Oseguera, Barragan, Nunez(their original name is Bejar and they are the one’s i’ve proven are Jewish), Alvarez, Barragan, Valencia, Rodriguez, Abarca, Guerrero, Gutierrez, Andrade, Malfavon, among others. Acording to most stories most of the people and my family originally were part of Cotija but have settled elsewhere like in Los Reyes, Tocumbo, Santa Ines, La Calera, and around Jalisco. My family is among the first Spanish families that have settled there. Rumor has it that that entire town was founded by Sephardic anusims. I would really like to know more about my other families surnames besides the Nunez’s(Bejars). I also want to learn about my geneology but I don’t have the money and my parents are not fond of the idea either. All I know is that I’m undergoing conversion to Judaism at the nearby Reform Temple. If you find anything out, please let me know.
Shalom Blanca,
Although your assumptions are ambitious unfortunately from a sociological or genetic studies standpoint there is NO WAY that you can be 99% sure based on your conclusions. That does not mean that you are not on the right track, what it does mean however is youve taken a shortcut with alot of not necessarily true assumptions on your part. For example, the names you listed are on Sephardic Jewish names lists, that proves nothing. For example the name Garcia is the #1 hispanic surname with slightly more than 4% of all hispanics worldwide having that surname, of course Jews as well as non Jews would have that name. Unfortunately surnames were changed in those days quite often to avoid the Inquisition yes, but also to avoid military service and to hide from the law in general, so a last name proves nothing. Also, economic class has nothing to do with Jewish heritage or not, you couldnt be further off base on that one. Of course your parents arent supportive, if they knew the secret they would be hesitant to come out of the closet so to say and if they dont why would they want to learn something that they might consider being embarassing or uncomfortable?
Now that we have got your 99% sureness out of the way, because of some of the last names, with the geography mentioned researching this using correct methodology Im sure you can turn up some information that at least would indicate the possibility of you being of Crypto Jewish background.
I may be willing to help you, depending on the reasons for your research and what you may or may not be planning to do with the results. DNA tests while interesting can prove certain things but are not the complete answer, fortunately the Catholic church kept emmaculate records concerning their prosecutions and inquiries as well as other sources such as Freemasons (specifically Scottish rite). There are also records at sources such as UC Berkley, the University of Arizona and University of Texas, if you are literate in Spanish, records are available for multiple sources. These and many others are there for the taking, but no one is there to do the work for you, except you, its out there go get it.
If you can be more specific so can I and can point you to a lot of resources.
Ron Cohen
Director of International Relations
Centro Cultural Hebreo de Mexicali (Mexicali, Mx. Jewish Community)
M.A. Sociology and History (Specializing in southwest US and northern Mexico)
Thank you for responding, and yes now I do realize that I was too quick and eager to jump to conclusions. No I really do not think my parents know anything, my great grandmother might, but her memory is fading and I see her very rarley. My reasons for the research are simply because I am interested and I want to know about my ancestors and where they came from etc… It was but only a few years ago, when I had an epiphany…and I haven’t been able to answer my questions.
Yep, that’s me. Unfortunately, none of the Luas I have come across know much about the families beyond the great grandparents, including myself. Yes, my maternal grandmother’s family is from Cuameo Chico (or Coameo, not sure the spelling). Lua is my maternal grandmother’s side, Granados is my maternal grandfather’s side. Lupian is also on my maternal side. I have a feeling all Luas from the same region are related, even if it’s like very distant cousins. What one finds, could be useful to all.
Is there a way I can give you my personal email? I can also share with you some of the things I’ve been researching. What I can I will post here, unless it’s personal information.
The question that I have for all you seekers is what are you planning to do with this information once you get it. The reason I ask is simple, if it has to do with the fact that you are seeking answers within Judaism as your proper truth than frankly none of this is necessary. If it is for table talk or just plain curiosity, thats fine as well. The question becomes why is it important to you or why do you possibly think it is important to you. If it is from a finding out more about Judaism prospective, I can possibly be of help. Understand that as Jews we do not prostilisize but are willing to answer questions and give direction to sources and resources, if it is of a curiosity nature, I suggest Family Tree DNA for tests as well as for their extensive data bank of names and locations in regards to Mexican ancestry and particularly possible hidden Jewish roots. I would also suggest researching possible anusim customs such as sweeping to the center of the room, burning fingernail clippings, celebrating the fest of “Saint Esther” and lighting candles in the Church on Friday evenings etc etc.
Ron Cohen
The place to start your search is http://www.sephardim.com This will give you a list of surnames used by Sephardic Jews and Anousim. As people have pointed out, seeing your name in this list doesn’t mean your ancestors were Jews, but by the same token it doesn’t mean they weren’t.
If you are lucky and able to track your family back to Iberia, the place or region of origin would give you a hint of how likely it could be for them to be of Jewish ancestry. For example, were they from a region or place with a documented Jewish presence? Again, this does not make you of Anousim descent automatically.
Anyone interested should buy, if you can, David Gitlitz’ book “Secrecy and Deceit: The Religion of the Crypto-Jews” — it is the biggest and best (in my opinion) collection of the customs of the Crypto-Jews (Anousim=conversos) in both Iberia and America. In it you will find hundreds of different customs, some of which survive to these days. This would give a strong indication of Jewish ancestry, but while it doesn’t make it automatic,this raises the possibility dramatically.
DNA testing would give you a general indication of the path your family has taken to get to You, but DNA doesn’t encode religion so it is not by itself proof of Jewish ancestry. However, if your results show affinity to the Near East or to North Africa, that would make a very compelling argument for Jewish ancestry — specially on the maternal side — but again not having these results doesn’t deny ancestry.
So, if your name was Lua, and you were able to trace your family to regions in Portugal with strong Jewish presence, and your family retained customs like sweeping toward the center of the room and only marrying “our kind”, and your DNA shows affinity to North Africa, then you may have a compelling argument — not definite proof, but a compelling argument nonetheless.
In response to Ron’s question, “what are you planning to do with this information once you get it?”
I don’t believe that is the right approach to take. Most people I’ve spoken with about this, get started out of curiosity. I don’t want to discourage anyone from exploring their own roots by asking “why do you wanna know?” I’m excited that people ask questions. If they find proof of a Jewish ancestry, then the question would be appropriate. Do you try to reconnect to your family’s ancestral past? Do you keep it as a family history? etc. That is something to ask at a later time. Some may decide they want to return, some may not. And that is okay. But let’s not dissuade people’s hunger for knowledge by asking this type of questions, at least not at this time.
Mucho Respeto 2 my fellow seekers: I am a Chicano(Mex-USA) delving into my possible Jewish ancestry… I am primarily interested in my maternal grandfather’s lineage; surnames there include Silva and Martinez…(Others in my family are Marquez,Fuentes,Cordero,and Alcaraz…). The Silvas and Martinezes trace back to Spain and Portugal, New Mexico(Gallup), Arizona(Williams), eventually to the L.A. area… I am very ‘Huero’, and so is most of my family, thus, it would seem that we have very little, if any, Native American lineage, or even Moorish Spaniard ancestry…(Though I do have an uncle that reminds me of Saddam Hussein!) I have another uncle that has stereotypical ‘Jewish’ facial features and curly hair (along with my 3 cousins…). Also, my grandfather Martinez’s sister “Candy”(Candelaria) made ‘bunuelos’ for us back-in-the-day (just learned those had Sefardic ties!). If any of this sparks anything for any of you/anything in common with it, I hope you’ll post about it!…Thanks. PS:All-due-respect, but does anybody else think ‘Mr.Cohen’ comes off as maybe a little pompous???…I’m just sayin’…
Que pasa?
Last time I failed to mention that I know of only one (1) practicing Catholic in my entire (Mexican) family, BOTH sides…He, my Uncle Moises, is not from the ‘Martinez-Silva’ side, either…(The side with the most ‘possible’ evidence of Jewish ancestry)…(Although, he does have a Jewish-based first name…). I think that to be another important piece of evidence… Also, I have found ‘sephardim.com’ to be a useful source of info. Martinez and Silva were two of the most ‘referenced’ surnames, with Martinez having over 80 coats of arms…Nos vemos—
Neil,
Sorry if you believe that I come off as pompous. What I am trying to say however is that there are legitimate sources to research each particular story that will save people a lot of time and energy in their search for their personal truth with total respect for each individuals personal truth. For example, reading your family background, I would strongly suggest that you utilize the New Mexico State Historical Department and all the good research they have compiled, while also telling you that the Arizona State Historical Department will probably not be as good of resource for you in you search. The University of Arizona may have some information for you though. I would also kindly ask you to omit what you call stereotypical “Jewish” features from your research as these so called features, a total fallacy. While a total falsehood, has its origins in Askanazi, not Sephardic Jews, it is based on Eastern European not Iberian Penisula origins.
Mucha suerte en su busca
Ron Cohen
Sr. Ron Cohen,
Thank you for the clarification of the ‘issue’ that I was concerned with…also for the advice you offered. All is appreciated! Point taken about my “stereotypical Jewish facial features and curly hair” statement being more pertinent to stereotypes of ‘Ashkenazi’ Jews…I had purposefully punctuated it: ‘stereotypical’ to downplay its relevance. As far as stereotypes go, I, as a ‘Huero’/Rubio/Guero-Mexican, surely do not believe that racial/ethnic/religious stereotypes are authoritative(been told “You don’t look Mexican?!?” dozens of times)…although, I do believe that there are some unmistakable physical and behavioral ‘tendencies’ that, as far as I’m concerned, positively establish diversity! Also, I am interested to know if you, Sir, believe that Sephardim and Ashkenazim have any ancestral ties, even possibly distant…(Middle-Eastern origins?)(also their possible religious/spiritual links?..)
Basically, just how ‘separate’ do you believe them to be??? Thank you for the wish of much luck in my search…
Sincerely,
Neil Martinez y Silva
Correction to my last post, to Sr. Ron Cohen:
Punctuation was: stereotypical ‘Jewish’..;to downplay the relevance(but not necessarily to omit the possibility of relevance)…
Thank you…
Neil,
Jews just like Raza come in many different shapes and colors. Hitler had it all wrong by his stereotypical belief that Jews had certain physical characteristics that could surely identify them. If you were to see me, you would think puro Raza, maybe leaning more to the Indio side. Latest autosomal testing by Family Tree DNA, indicates not only an Indio Herencia, but also has me as having a strong Russian Jewish influence. How do I explain it? I don’t know!!!! All I know is that it may give further confirmation as to why my parents were so Catholic. A true converso did not want to give any evidence that he may be of Jewish origin, for fear of the Spanish Inquisition!!
Orale, people…
I have apparently used a ‘buzzword’ on this site that sparked interest from some…thus, I feel the need for some (respectful) clarification. The word is: stereotypical/stereotype. The context I was endeavoring to use it in was to show just one(out of MANY) possible link to Jewish roots in my own family, while attempting to downplay the relevance somewhat with punctuation…(see my 2 later posts). That was basically my intent for using the term: “stereotypical”; otherwise, I might have said something like: “I have an uncle that looks Jewish”. One way I could have stated this, to better prevent misunderstanding, might have been: “physical traits common to a large subsection of Jewish people”…I don’t know, maybe. I agree with the statement that the German/Austrian officials had it all wrong before and during WWII…kidnapping,stealing from, and murdering approx. 6 million Jewish people, and millions of Christians and others that didn’t agree with or ‘fit into’ their evil ideology. Finally, since I am only here to clarify my own statements, not to try to ‘correct’ anyone else’s, I will leave any other ‘issues’ alone!…(clarify my own, and agree with other people’s…) With respect, because I do appreciate insightful input from my fellow ‘Seekers’!
Thank you…
Sr. Ron Cohen,
I also want to thank you for not dropping the ‘H-Bomb’ on me (German Chancellor,1930′s-40′s…) in your response to my first post on this site.
Felicidades…
The story of the Anusim is real. My family originated on my mothers side from Nuevo Leon until the 1970′s we were in the Catholic Churchsuperficially yet, we kept the Sabbath, avoided pork and sea food, only read the torah, had an oral history of being Jewish, kept Pesach , did not eat any blood and threw away eggs with a drop of blood, lit candles on friday night , and the dead would be buried the same day we also and did not intermarry with non anusim.
I traced my maternal side 7 generations back all from nuevo leon, moneterrey. Interestingly my fathers mother was also Jewish-sephardic from Jalisco another area that had a large sephardic crypto population.
Many of the anusim who never lost their Jewish heritage came out 40 – 70 years ago. Today, many anusim have thread of a lost Jewish tradition thus there is a mis perception that all anusim forgot their heritage or stopped practicing judaism. This is not true.
My own DNA has the Kohanim marker and is semitic. Again, my father passed down a tradition that we were descendents of priest and thus could only marry women” who were not polluted”…thus, it is important to remeber that anusim covers thoses who never forgot their heritage nor stopped practicing Judaism to those who have some customs which are performed but whose reasons have been forgotten.
I am intrested in finding out details about my family
I sac , MOises Jimenez in Philippines
They are Jewish names and I will be happy to hear about them concerning their belonging to jewish life religion
Finding some good bits of information…On the culinary side, along with ‘BUNUELOS’ having Sefardic ties, I’ve learned that ‘ALBONDIGAS’ soup (Mexican Meatballs) are also considered ‘Sefardic Cuisine’(these are 2 I’m familiar with)…Also, although traditional Mexican Jewry is Sephardi, many Ashkenazi Jews emigrated to Mexico in the first half of the 1900′s. These included Russian and Romanian Jews escaping Soviet pogroms/persecution…With regards to my own family, I had great-uncles named Samuel, and Solomon on the ‘Martinez-Silva’ side (Hebraic names).
Hasta lluego—
Neil,
Where did you read of Russian and Romanian Jews escaping persecution in the 1800′s? I have tried to find info on this same story but I cannot find any!! Does the article say what part of Mexico they emigrated to?
Sr. Hernandez,
I originally found “first half of 20th century”, then elsewhere found that this wave of immigration had started in the 1880′s…Obviously then, these pogroms/persecutions in Russia and Romania were not of “Soviet” origins (as I had stated), but I intend to research this further. I have not yet found the Mexican destinations of these emigrants, either. Also, there was some Jewish immigration to Mexico from Austria and other “German states”, upon the ‘invitation’ of Emperor Maximilian I, in the 1860′s…There was also some Jewish immigration to Mexico from “Europe” (most likely Ashkenazim), during WWII… In another matter of interest, I have found unfortunate info about a ‘Martinez’ from El Salvador. President Maximiliano Hernandez Martinez (1930′s-40′s), among other seriously ‘questionable’ actions, denied the entry of 50 potential Jewish immigrants to El Salvador (July 1939)…
Felicidades….
In regards to Russian-Jewish immigration to Mexico, it roughly coincided with three major waves of ‘pogroms’: 1881-84, 1903-06, & 1917-1921 (said immigration started ‘in earnest’ in the 1920′s…) The first major wave of pogroms (mostly in SO & E Ukraine) resulted from the ‘Czarist’ loyalists blaming the assassination of Czar Alexander II on the Jewish population, thus inciting widespread murder, rape, looting, burning, etc., mostly by the public. The second major wave of pogroms roughly coincided with the ‘First Russian Revolution’, with revolutionary activity being blamed on the Jewish population ‘at large’ by the Csarist regime. There was much more direct involvement of the Police forces and the Military in this wave of violence. The third wave of major pogroms happened during the ‘Bolshevik’ revolution, followed by the Red Army’s victory and resulting Soviet takeover. Both the ‘Red’ and ‘White’ Armys viciously targeted the Jewish population at large, far surpassing the previous pogroms in brutality and number of casualties…The sources for this information are: ‘JewishVirtualLibrary.org’; ‘MexConnect.(org/net?)’; ‘Encyclopaedia Judaica’-(online)’; & ‘Wikipedia’…
Respects to the Fallen…
Interesting I just happened on this website while looking for lost family surnames; Solis/Vasquez from my fathers ancestors. We are not even sure if Vasquez is the real last name because on other records my grandfather went by Grandier as-well. We cannot find him any where; with this aside I found out that I am Ashkenazi genetically and so is my husband (Salazar) genetically. We found this out 14 years ago when our daugher was diagnosised with an Ashkenazi Jewish disease called “Gaucher’s” there are few diagnosises in the world 1800 when she became a medical statistic to 1900 since she was diagnosised. It is very rare in that it takes two carriers to come together inorder to have an offspring with this disease and it rarely happens. My husband and I are both hispanic with ancestors orginating from entirely different areas of this continent. My grandparents from Sonora,Jalisco Mexico and his grandparents from New Mexico. Of course history does tell us that this continent was Mexico until much of it was lost to wars and revolutions. What we thought and has been our heritage is really not especially since our daughter has this disease with no cure but a required enzyme replacement infused via portacath every two weeks which essentially keeps her bones alive.
It’s very rare that two carriers come together like my husband and I did who in our wildest dreams never had any idea that we carried Ashkenazi blood line. Knowing this hasn’t put eather of us any closer to finding where or who it came from on eather side because our ancestors changed their last names. We currently live in Utah where I was born, my parents born and my husband born in Wyoming with his parents born in New Mexico.
Any insite in any of this muse is greatly appreciated.
Shalom Anna,
You may want to try the below listed forum regarding the surnames Solis/Vasquez, they have recently had an extremely large thread concerning these names from people wordwide.
groups.yahoo.com/group/saudades-sefarad
Ron Cohen
Mexicali, Mx.
Thank you! I have inquired and waiting to hear back from the site.
Anna,
Google “A Large selection of Sephardic Jewish Surnames”!! Vasquez and Solis are there!!
Jaime Rendon Hernandez
MY FAMILY IS FROM JALISCO-CHAPALA AREA,EL SALTO DE JUANACATLANAREA,TEPATLAN-CENTER OF LOS ALTOS DE JALISCO SETTLE BY JUDIOS SEFARDITAS;AREA KNOWN AS LA PEQUENA PALESTINA UNDERGROUND. LA COFRADIA Y EL TEPETATE, COCULA AND LA AREA DE ZACUALCO DE TORRES-LAS CATARINAS Y LAS BARRAS.FATHER’S LAST NAMES:BECERRA, RAMIREZ,PEREZ,SANCHEZ,CRUZ , MORENO,TOSCANO, SEVILLA, BONILL-A. MOTHER’S LAST NAMES-MEJIA,LOBATO,MONFORTE, LOPEZ,MORAIDA,ANGEL,DIAZ,RAMIEZ,GONZALES,PEREZ,JIMENEZ,ALCANTAR,ENCISO, DOLORES,RUIZ,SANTOS,ROJAS,MICHELENA,ARRIAGA O ARRAYGA (original- arriaga]
Where (location of Mexico) did your Lopez come from?
MY FAMILY HAS BEEN IN CHAPALA FOR CENTURIES.MY MOTHER ANTONIA LOPEZ ARRIAGA,HIJA DE JOSE LOPEZ DOLORES{1897},HIJO ALVINO LOPEZ MOREIDA[1875], HIJO DE TIRSO LOPEZ DIAZS {1803]HIJO DE REMIGIO LOPEZ RAMIREZ, HIJO DE ANTONIO LOPEZ RAMIREZ.MI BISABUELO ERA EL UTIMO DE 25 HIJOS Y HIJAS DE TIRSO QUE FUE CASADO TRES VECEZ. LA PRIMERA ESPOSA FUE ROSALIA AGUSTIN LOPEZ, SEGUNDA FUE SEFERINA OCAMPO, TERCERA FUE CRUZ MORAIDA ANGEL. ALVINO LOPEZ II MURIO 1954 EN CHAPALA, JALISCO Y FUE EL ULTIMO DE LA FAMILIA QUE HABLO LADINO.LOS LOPEZ FOR GENERATION ERAN ARRIEROS QUE TIRSO MANDABA POR TODAS PARTES DE MEXICO. HIJOS CONCIERON MUJERES EN SONORA, SINALOA,NAYARIT, ACAPULCO,PUERTO VALLARTA, GUANAJUATO,VERA CRUZ,OAXACA. LOS DECENDIENTE LOS HAY POR TODO MEXICO Y USA.
CORRECION= ANTONIO LOPEZ- ESPOSA MARIA RAMREZ/ REMIGIO LOPEZ RAMIREZ -ESPOSA JOSEFA DIAZS LOPEZ. BISABUELO ALVINO Y TATA ABUELO TIRSO QUIEN SE CASO TRS VEZ. EL ABUELO ALVINO PROHIBIA QUE COMIERA SU GANADO SI SE RODABA, ERA ATOPELLADO O SI SE HOGABA. SO LE DECIA A LA GENTE QUE LE DEJARAN EL CUERO. MI MADRE ANTONIA LE PREGUNTABA POR QUE NO SE PERMETIA QUE LA FAMILIA COMIERA DE AQUEL ANIMAL, Y LE DECIA POR QUE ERA UN ANIMAL IMUNDO. NO DEJABA QUE COMIERAN LOS CONEJOS NI LOS PATOS. Y CUANDO RESABA ALVINO CON MI ABUELO LO HACIAN COMO LO HACEN LOS JUDIOS ENFRENTE DE PARE DEL TEMPLO EN JERUSALEN.
ANYONE CONNECTED TO THE AREAS MENTION OR LAST NAMES, PLEASE CONTACT ME
805-636-5833. THE LAST NAMES ARRAIGA O ARRAYGA ARE ORGINALLY ARRIAGA OF PASCUARO ,MICHOACAN,MEXICO. DOMINGO ARRAIGA FATHER WAS MARRIED TO HIS MOTHER JUANA MEJIA DE LOS LOBATO IN PASCUARO. SHE WAS YOUNG AND FATHER AN OLDER MAN BELIEVE TO BE ITALIAN FROM SICILY. HE WAS VERY WEALTHY AND LARGE ORCHARDS OF PEARS. SHE AND GREGORIO ARRIAGA , HIJO DEL HACIENDADO EN PASQUARO FAIL IN LOVE AND JUANA LEFT WITH GREGORIO AND HER 2 SONS TO CHAPALA, JALSICO AROUND 1810. BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT MARRIED, GREGORIO CHANGED HIS NAME TO ARRAIGA, SO AS NOT TO CONNECT TO PASCUARO AND FIND THE TRUETH OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP. TODAY THEIR DECENDENTS IN MEXICO GO BY ARRAIGA O ARRIAGA. I KNOW THIS BECAUSE DOMINGO TOLD HIS SON ZENON AND HE TOLD HIS DAUGHTER MARIA TRINDAD , MY GRANDMOTHER WHO TOLD ME.
RR
Saludos a todos! Me alegra mucho saber que hay otros en busca de su verdad. Hi Everyone! My paternal surnames are Ortiz and Rodriguez. I’ve always suspected something was up. At first I started doing research because I’ve always been told I look “white”. I was just curious as to how everything is all tied in. Then, I found out a lot of the Spaniards and French that colonized parts of Mexico were of Jewish decent and that’s pretty much what brought me here. I’ve been thinking of taking a DNA test but like a lot of Jewish folks I’ve always been afraid of revealing certain things. It must be in my blood. Who knows. But fear is what has been holding me back to be honest. I can only imagine the fear that a lot of Jews must have felt in times of terrible persecution. I wish those on the search the best. I hope we all find our roots and our truth, Jewish or not. It’s always important to connect with those that made us who we are. Because if it wouldn’t have been for their strength and courage, we all wouldn’t be here. I think we all as humans have all suffered hardships. Jewish or not. And, yes, I believe in forgiveness and no hatred among all races of the world.
Its amazing how this return to our Jewish roots just comes about. I’m of Mexican descent and all I have to know is what my gramma would tell my mom and when my was a teenager my gramma was “converted” to a Jewish rooted temple. One thing my mom says my gramma always mysteriously kept in her home in Puebla was an old book of the “Spanish inquisition”. Now this 3rd generation us grandchildren has somehow found ourselves back into our Jewish roots which we yearn and have embraced. Although, we were raised with jewish roots anyway as we were never Catholics or knew any other practice. After studying more about judaism in depth throughout the years, all we have to look at is our last names in our ancestry and know that our call back to our roots is enough proof of that. Not to mention practices, characteristics, personalities, very jewishly identifiable without a doubt. I believe it all comes back anyway and blood calls blood!
SAGOL, IT WOULD BE GREAT IF COULD PROVIDE AS MUCH IMFORMATION SO THAT OTHER MEXICANO CAN BECOME AWARE OF OTHER SEFARDITA LAST NAMES AND PERHAPS THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO CONNECT TO YOUR FAMILY LINE. YOU WILL BE SUPPRISE TO FINE HOW PEOPLE AROUND YOU ARE RELATED.
BE SURPRISE
Shalom Roberto,
The areas you mentioned, particularly los altos de jalisco, is a particular hotbed of anusim, with a culture steeped in Sephardic culture. Dont know if you have ever been there but if you get a chance you should visit there, the cemetaries are of particular interest because of tombstone markings. Also of great interest are the folkways, song, and particular daily actions of the people of that area. It is not surprising that a Sicilian immigrated there as there was a very large anusim population there as well in the time frame you described. Would be happy to discuss this matter further with you, as it is an intregal part of the book I am now writing and can certainly be of some assistance with resources in particular areas.
Ron Cohen
Mexicali, Mx.
http://www.cisraelita.mexicali@live.com
http://www.judiosdemexicali.com – community website
SHALOM RON COHEN
I GO TO JALISCO ABOUT TWICE A YEAR, I WAS THERE IN NOVEMBER. I HAVE PASS BY THERE SEVERAL TIMES. I,AM DETERMINE TO GO TO TEPATITLAN,THE CENTER OF LA PEQUENA PALESTINA EN LOS ALTOS DE JALISCO, THE BIRTH OF PLACE OF MY GREAT-GRANDMOTHER ESTEFANA PEREZ SANCHES, WHO MARRIED MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER PIOQINTO BECERRA RAMIREZ IN 1869. SHE WAS THE DAUGHTER OF ANDRES PEREZ AND PETRA SANCHEZ OF TEPA. I UNDERSTAND THE OLD CHURCH HAS IMAGES OF ABRAHAM,JACOB,MOISES AND DAVID. I ALSO HAVE PEREZ FROM MY MOTHER SIDE, MY MOTHER GRANDMOTHER FROM HER MOTHER’S SIDE WAS JUANA GONZALES JIMENEZ BORN IN EL SALTO DE JUANACATLAN EN EL JUANACASTLE ,JALISCO. HER MOTHER WAS MARCELA JIMENEZ PEREZ AND HER FATHER WAS MODESTO GONZALES. JUANA GONZALES MARRIED ZENON ARRAIGA(MONFORTE) ENCISO IN 1883 IN CHAPALA, JALISCO. HE WAS THE SON OF DOMINGO ARRAIGA(MONFORTE) MEJIA AND PRUDENCIA ENCISO ALCANTAR. HE WAS BORN IN PASCUARO,MICHUACAN,MEXICO AROUND 1803.
Any connection to Pablo & Bibiana Becerra, Children: Ignacio, Belen, Polly, Salvador,
Don’t know too much because my parents divorced when I was young and never allowed
to keep in touch with this side of the family, this is why I am searching, all family members
gone. any info greatly appreciated. Thank you
LILLIAN FROM WHAT PART OF JALISCO ARE THEY FROM? THE TOWN , CITY OR RANCHO? THE BECERRA CLAN IN JALISCO IS ALL THE SAME FAMILY, IT ONLY A QUESTION OF CLOSELY RELATED WE ARE. FIND OUT FAMILY FROM FATHER SIDE AND ASK QUESTIONS? WHERE WAS FATHER BORN, WHEN ? WHO WAS MOTHER AND FATHER AND HIS GRAND=PARENTS. YOU BIRTH CERTIFICATE HAS YOUR PARENTS AND GRAND PARENTS? GOOD LUCK CALL 805- 636-5938
thank you
Encontre mi apellido en la lista de Judios Sefarditas, toda mi familia es de Monterrey N. L. Mexico y tengo el mismo apellido de padre y madre, como puedo estar segura que mi familia deciende de Judios?
Myrna Villarreal Villarreal
Espero que te resulte útil. En la obra de Cecil Roth, de los Marranos, se alude a la subsistencia del colegio sefardí de Vilarreal en Inglaterra. De igual manera en Portugal existe el distrito de Vilarreal, y la existencia de orígenes portugueses en esa zona solamente se explica a través de la emigración sefardí detallada por el investigador. Villarreal es exactamente igual a Vilarreal porque en Portugal ll es igual a l (solamente lh es equivalente a ll español) Saludos de Lisboa. Ariel Reboeiras
Myrna,
Escribe un e-mail con su pregunta a garyf@pacbell.net El es el administrador del Projecto , Genealogico Y, de Mejicanos del Noreaste de Mexico, que incluye Monterrey NL. Necesitas que tu Padre tome el exam de saliva para estudiar el Y para saber si tiene marcas genealogicos de origin Judio! Si tienes un hermano el tambien puede tomar el examen! Si hay costo, pero no se cuanto, Gary te puede decir.
Jaime Rendon Hernandez
Jaime, y si mi padre ya fallecio como puedo obtener el ADN, solamente mi madre vive que tambien el apellido de su padre fue Villarreal.
Myrna
Myrna,
Pues el primer lugar para obtener el ADN es con tus hermanos. Si no tienes hermanos, un hermano(s) de tu padre or primos que vienen del lado paternal. Tienes que colectar el Y chromosome, que solo viene del lado de los hombres!!
Jaime
Myrna,
Tambien puedes juntar una muestra de saliva de los hermanos de tu madre!! Es posible que siendo Villarreal por los dos lados, hay descedencia Judio por los dos lados!!
Jaime
Tengo un caso muy similar.
I just want to clarify for those of you searching for your Jewish roots. Jewish roots will be found in your soul. The search to see if you have “Jewish blood” is one that the inquisition, Hitler and many others, including Haman, would have endorsed. There is no such thing as “Jewish blood”. There is only the Jewish soul or neshama. Search for that and your effort will be worthwhile. Kol tuv, Devora
Sorry to inform you Devora, latest scientific genetic evidence indicates that there are DNA markers peculiar to people who have a Jewish ancestry. The studies indicate that Judaism goes beyond religion. Surely, one can covert to Judaism, just like one can convert to Catholicism. However there is a high correlation of haplogroups J and E in people that have a Jewish past!!!! This has nothing to do with Hitler. I am positive that people who search for their Catholic soul will also find it!! By the way, Hitler also executed Catholics.
My comment only meant to clarify that the traditional definition of Jewish “roots”. And yes, of course, people can convert to Judaism, but the traditional view is that someone who converts is just recognizing the original state of their soul and not changing anything. I don’t think I implied anywhere that Hitler only targeted Jews. I am sorry if I offended anyone with my comment, I only hoped to encourage people to search for more than bloodlines, but an actual soul connection as well.
Shalom Raul,
I can be reached at my Community email address:
cisraelita.mexicali@live.com
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Ron Cohen
Although I am an Ashkenazi Jew whose family never had to hide their identity, it fills me with great pride, joy, and respect to see so many fellow human beings rediscovering their Jewish heritage, which, unfortunately, had to be hidden for centuries. What is unique about being Jewish is both the “tribal” or genetic elements combined with the cultural/religious elements. If you wish to pursue your Jewishness, please don’t be put off by the need to “convert.” Arguably, the greatest Matriarch in our Jewish history was Ruth, who was a convert. If you desire to come back to the “family”, you will be welcomed with open arms
Thanks apreciate it
IS THERE ANYONE WITH THE LAST NAME DOLORES FROM THE CHAPALA AREA OF JALISCO. MY GREAT- GREAT-GREAT GRANDFATHER ESTEVAN DOLORES MARRIED MARGARITA ROJAS, ONE OF THEIR MANY KIDS WAS FRANCISCO DOLORES WHO MARRIED PASCULA RUIZ; WHO”S GRAND- MOTHERS WERE REGINA AND RUFINA MICHELENA. MICHELENA. THE NEXT CONNECTION I,AM LOOKING FOR. IS MY GREAT-GREAT-GREAT -GREAT-GREAT GRANDFATHER ANTONIO MICHELENA WHO MARRIED RAFAELA LOPEZ RUIZ, THE PARENTS OF REGINA MICHELENA WHO MARRIED JOSE ROJAS AND RUFINA MICHELENA WHO MARRIED JOSE SANTOS.. THEIR GRAND KIDS ARE FRANCISCO DOLORES ROJAS AND PASCULA SANTOS RUIZ . THESE ARE MY GRANDFATHER JOSE LOPEZ DOLORES MATERNAL GRAND PARENTS. PLEASE EMAIL ME .
I use to work with a Luis Michelena back in Phoenix Az in the mid seventies. He was originally from Morenci and Superior Az if I recall correctly. He is now deceased, but I believe he has a son and daughter still in the Phoenix area.
THANKS JAIME, I FOUND HIS DEATH CERTIFICATE , HIS DAUGHTER CAROLYN AND HIS PICTURE WHEN HE WAS IN THE SERVICE.GRACIAS ,ROBERTO
JAIME MY EMAIL IS CHAPALLAN1910@HOTMAIL.COM
Gilberto Garza
One year before my father died he told me that there was a secret in the family and that I needed to find out what it was. My family is orginally from Monterey NL. My uncle is Israel Cavazos Garza professor of history and geneologist. And yet my immediate family living in San Antonio, TX kept the secret. My son and I dove into our history, we found a book store that specialized in northern Mexico and Texas history. We found many book that openned our eyes and hearts to where our roots began. It has truly been an wonderful expirence for us.
Hi, I was researching my family and I have come to the conclusion that I might also have Jewish decent it’s almost as fate-it’s hard to explain but I feel like there something missing there.I’d like to start off and say I’m from Monterrey, NL & recently I have come to question my faith as in where I stand religiously. I have actually asked my father and he seems lost in that subject as lost as I am. Since we have similar cases i’d like to hear your opinion on my situation here. To start off my name is Joyce Garza (notice last name). My fathers name is Armando Garza Velasquez and grandfather’s is Eudelio Garza Campos, and great-great grandfather’s name was Pedro Garza. Well my grandfather is an Atheist meaning he has lost his interest in faith so he’s also as lost then we all are. What I do know is that my grandfather mentioned something his ancestors associated with Germany. For me it seems like he was a Crypto-Jew and came fleeing from Spain from the Inquisition and who came fleeing from Germany from the Holocaust situation and so & so. I want to see if you were willing to give me some of your knowledge, hopefully come to some truth in there. It really means a lot to me. Thanks:)
Gilberto Garza
One year before my father died he told me that there was a secret in the family and that I needed to find out what it was. My family is orginally from Monterey NL. My uncle is Israel Cavazos Garza professor of history and geneologist. And yet my immediate family living in San Antonio, TX kept the secret. My son and I dove into our history, we found a book store that specialized in northern Mexico and Texas history. We found many books that openned our eyes and hearts to where our roots began. It has truly been an wonderful expirence for us.
Well I too have searched the Seaphardim list and both my last name GUZMAN and my husbands last name SEPULVEDA are on there. I think for me, searching for my roots has to do with restoring what was taken/forced to give up(which seems possible after seeing both last names on it) i.e. celebrating the Jewish Holy Days, particularly the Pass Over since we are believers in the New Testament. Also, I know this sounds vain but I would love the privilege of saying “God has been providing and faithful in keeping his promises since “WE” left EGYPT regardless of trials/tribulations/genocides/disobedience.” That is well over what 5,000 yrs ago aprox?? Imagine that God tracking HIS people from country to contry, generation after generation, blood meandering through marriage……Needless to say if we are not related to Abraham, Issac and Jacob He is very real to us. He is the God of my Grandmother, my Father and our household! Mother (ACOSTA) is from Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Father(GUZMAN) is from El Paso, Tx
Edna
Considering that the persecuted Jews from Iberia settled in many parts of the world, and perhaps some, if not many, of them married the local girls of the host country, it should be difficult now to determine their descendants’ physical profile. Many of their customs and practices may have also been lost in the passing of time especially when they are not or cannot be practiced openly. Present day descendants may no longer be aware of the jewish roots.
Aside from DNA, there could be other ways for someone to reconnect to his/her ancestors’ past, and to the faith of their fathers.
I am very curious of my geneology on my Mother’s side also of Philippines. While doing an internet search on Spanish families I stumbled upon a few with Sephardic family names. My Grandmother’s maiden name was Carrasco, according to my Mom from Spain, but I am curious if they really meant New Spain in Mexico? Also searching for my Grandmother’s married name of Salamanes, I find many names in PI but not really in Mexico? I also have ties to Portugal but cannot find much on Linaga lineage but know that my Grandfather directly came from Portugal, some Linaga’s did not eat pork or fish w/out scales. Like someone mentioned earlier many customs died off… now we are trying to find the links.
The original largest jewish settlement i beliveve was in Cerralvo, Mexico in 1590. The king of spain granted Jose Carvajal rights to start a settlement but could not practice Jewish rites. Most of the Jews here came from Portugal. These people eventually settled Northern Mexico and South Texas. The Spanish Inquisition pushed others further North to New Mexico n Colorado.
Hello Mr. Cohen,
In the past year I’ve begun to research the possibility of converting to Judaism, I’m currently enrolled in a Jewish history course and G-d willing I will be traveling to Israel next July. The more I learn about Judaism the more it feels like home to my soul. I never felt at home in the Catholic church even as a child. These feelings made me curious about my genealogy. Both of my parents are from Teocaltiche Jalisco, in Los Altos. I’ve read the attached article about the Sephardic roots of the region. I have also completed a maternal and paternal DNA test and I am at a bit of a loss with the results, I don’t quite know how to interpret these, can you help with that? My paternal haplogroup is R1b-Artisans and my maternal haplogroup is A-Architects. In my family I have quite a few relatives that are married to relatives, my maternal grandparents were uncle and niece. I’m very excited to learn more. I’ve order the “Sangre Judia” and “Secrecy and Deceit: The Religion of Crypto Jews.” I’m eager to learn more. You mentioned that UC Berkley has an extensive library. I’m planning a trip to Berkley, do you have any suggestion on how I could go about gaining access to this library or if there is someone I could talk to there? I look forward to hearing from you.
Mireya Macias
macias.mireya@ymail.com
I have been able to find numerous Linaga familys in central Mexico area. I now assuming that the Linaga from southern Philippines did not come directly from Portugal, but from New Spain possibly. But it is possible my great grandfather took the long trade route from Portugal. I just wonder how to prove it either way. I could have Linaga cousins in Mexico. But wheather or not they have Sephardic ties , I cannot confirm without proof of some kind. I did know that my grandfather did not eat pork, did not attend Catholic church at all, prayed by himself and never admitted even being Portugese/Spanish to my mom until he took her out of the hut , and far from anyone that could hear as if was a bad secret or something.
i found my mother’s maiden name on sephardim.com also. i do know that her parents came from jerez, zacatecas. i also know that their spanish ancestors came from southern spain(which i heard was a mixed race community. people there have spanish arabic, jewish, and possibly other ancestries in them), so it’s likely i’m a descendant of a sephardic jews who converted to catholicism. also i know for sure i have spaniard and mexican indian blood. but when i learn about the history of spain and found my mom’s maiden name on sephardim.com, i think i might have jewish (and probably arabic ancetry) from my mom’s side of the family too.
Hi!,my name its Francisco Davalos,i was born in Mexicali BC,MExico,when i was kid my father told me that i was not to worship the idols,and that there’s only one G-d,i never realized that we are what people call criptojews until one day i heard the Shema in hebrew,i got paralized an did remember what my father told me when i was only 7 yeas old,something inside me began to make ask me who i am,i got curious and went to do the DNA heritage test,guess wt,i got the sephardic”y”tipe of chromosome.thats amazing,i think that in Mexico there/s a lot of’çonversos”,well,i think that there’s not enough space in Israel for the real jews.
I am looking for info regarding Becerra ancestry, I have tried ancestry.com but didn’t
get to much info. I did find out that there was a small village in Portugal in the 1900′sby the name of Becerra, pictures showed cobbled stone streets and small houses that looked like they were made out of stones and goats so I assumed they raised goats. I was told that they had left Spain and traveled through Mexico and settled in Silver City, New Mexico.
I would like to find out if they were part of this Jew hertiage although I was brought
Catholic but later converted to Christian. Any help where I can find more info would
be greatly appreciated. Thank you
HOLA LILLIAN, THERE IS ALSO A TOWN BECERRA IN GALICIA NORTHWESTERN SPAIN. WEST CENTRAL MEXICO COAST AREA WAS KNOWN AS LA NUEVA GALICIA. IT IS BELIEVE THAT MOST OF THE PEOPLE THERE CAME FROM GALICIA SPAIN . THE BECERRA,S IN PORTUGAL ARE BESERRA OR COULD BE BEZERRA.. ALL ANIMAL NAMES ARE SeFARDITA.
Me appellida Garza, es noombre se refiere a lo que describias de nombre.
Shalom! soy nacido en Mexico D.F. pero recido en U.S.A. y mis abulitos nacieron en Abasolo y Chiguahua Mexico, mi abuelo era ISAC ARELLANO BARRERA y MANUELA QUEZADA DE CORDOBA desde 1898 asta 1985. Y realmente no sabemos mucho de los padres y familias, que quizas se en cuentren algunos en Mexico, Mexicali , Tijuana oh Espana, todos ellos quizas fueron Catolicos pero con costumbres judias.
El JUDAISMO lo practicamos mi hermana, mi madre, y algunos hijos de mi hermana desde el ano 2001 asta la fecha, todas los demas familiares Arellano algunos practican el christianismo y la mayoria continua practicando el catolismo. esto son del lado materno.
Y de lado paterno es solamente mi padre PEDRO SALAS GALBAN desde MEXICO D.F.
Ojala y en el futuro encuentre mis raices judias….
Hi, I was researching my family and I have come to the conclusion that I might also have Jewish decent it’s almost as fate-it’s hard to explain but I feel like there something missing there.I’d like to start off and say I’m from Monterrey, NL & recently I have come to question my faith as in where I stand religiously. I have actually asked my father and he seems lost in that subject as lost as I am. Since we have similar cases i’d like to hear your opinion on my situation here. To start off my name is Joyce Garza (notice last name). My fathers name is Armando Garza Velasquez and grandfather’s is Eudelio Garza Campos, and great-great grandfather’s name was Pedro Garza. Well my grandfather is an Atheist meaning he has lost his interest in faith so he’s also as lost then we all are. What I do know is that my grandfather mentioned something his ancestors associated with Germany. For me it seems like he was a Crypto-Jew and came fleeing from Spain from the Inquisition and who came fleeing from Germany from the Holocaust situation and so & so. I want to see if you were willing to give me some of your knowledge, hopefully come to some truth in there. It really means a lot to me. Thanks:)
please message back
I’m so glad and happy to know and find that there are so much of my Jewish history and that,outthere,somewhere,in this little world are many others just like me to whom I can relate! B’ahavas yisrael yosef ben Carmel.
I learned of my heritage from two places: my family and sephardim.org. My ancestors came to Mexico in the early 1800s from Belgium, France and Alsace-Lorraine. They spoke French (as well as Spanish and Hebrew). But our ancestors that we knew who raised us did not mention or seem to be aware of Jewish ancestry.
I know my mother and grandparents kept a kosher kitchen, sang a few songs they got from who knows where – songs not sung by other Mexicans. We had cultural traditions that were a mystery to others, and always felt very different from the rest of the Mexicans.
Our families intermarried only with those of certain surnames and known to each other. My family, Hernandez, intermarried only with Espinoza, Enriques, Barragan, Herrera and Davalos. Now the Herreras, for example, intermarried with Mendez, Mendoza, Espinoza and Dias. This is a Jewish custom as is some kind of Levirate marriage. My mother’s brother died leaving a widow. After a few years my mother died, may they rest in peace. About a year after her death, my aunt proposed to my father. He laughed at her but had to be very firm in rejecting it. At the time my aunt was about 80 and my father was 91.
So here I am, still fighting with people to convince them that I come from Jews. I do not always say “I am Jewish” unless I see good reason to do so. I’m proud and happy about it. It is Israel’s turn, and the mainstream community’s turn, to accept us for who we are – after all, we do not ask other Jews for anything.
Please read my story at
Great article and research. Comments are very informative as well. Only disliked the warning at the very beginning. I’ll do more research on my Jewish roots. My grandmother, who looked exact imagine of Golda Meyer (?) lit candles on Friday afternoons/nights, we had kosher pots, were catholic but not close to the church, there was a clear line who was accepted as family’s friends, just a few, we were told we came from a very Special Family, though loyal to Mexico, not nationalistic. I found all our last names in the Jewish background lists, so obviously my ancestors intermarried among other converted Jews near Puebla, close to Mexico City. I imagine there are hundreds of stories like mine. I love research, so I’ll do mine responsibly because I think I always knew something was different in my family and I’m proud it is Jewish heritage!