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THE POETRY OF LEONOR DE CARVAJAL AND THE CRYPTO-JEWISH TRADITION IN NEW SPAIN This is based on two articles. The prime source was: “La poesía de Leonor de Carvajal y la tradición de los cryptojudíos en Nueva Esapaña” by Michelle M. Hamilton (University of California, Berkeley) which appeared in Sefarad, Año 60, Fasc. 1, Madrid 2000. Additional information was obtained from an article by Moshé Shaul in Aki Yerushalayim. Both Ms Hamilton and Mr. Shaul have given permission to quote from their works. Translations from Spanish and Ladino by Arthur Benvenistewith assistance from Dolores J. Sloan.. When the archives of the Inquisition in the countries of Latin America were opened to the public, we gained a better understanding of the history of crypto Jews judged and condemned by the Inquisition for their being faithful to the Jewish religion in Mexico, Peru and other countries of the continent. One of the best known of the victims of the Latin American Inquisition was Luís de Carvajal who, rather than allow the Inquisition to intimidate him by confessing and asking for pity in order to avoid torture, proclaimed openly his faith in the Jewish religion and maintained this position with great courage and dignity through many years of trial until he was burned in an auto da fe. Less well known is the case of his sister, Leonor de Carvajal, who also was tried and condemned to the flames. Leonor was the seventh of nine children of Francisco Rodriquez de Matos and Francisca da Carvajal, who had gone to New Spain (today Mexico) at the end of the sixteenth century, seeking a better life than could be had in Spain. Between the years 1589 and 1590, most of the members of her family were condemned as “judaizers.” They were imprisoned for one or two years, forced to pay a heavy penalty and finally, “reconciled” to the Catholic religion. But, despite this, in 1595 the family was again accused and its members arrested by the Inquisition for “judaizing.” After being interrogated several times, on Friday June 2, 1595 Leonor de Carvajal could no longer resist the torture and she began to testify against herself, her family and her friends. These confessions revealed that the family had been practicing Jewish rites for at least the three years preceding their trial. The trials of Leonor and Luís de Carvajal resulted in their being condemned to death by fire. Leonor, her family and her Jewish friends were garroted and their corpses were burned on Saturday, December 8, 1596. Luís de Carvajal, as noted above, refused to confess his “sins” and stayed firm to the end in his Jewish faith. He was burned alive as a true martyr. The testimony of Leonor Carvajal is more important than the others because it contains detailed description of the rites and ceremonies practiced by the crypto-Jews of New Spain. One of the most important aspects of these ceremonies was the use of songs and poems as prayers. Leonor recited dozens of these songs and poems and gave detailed descriptions of their meanings and of their importance in the religious system of the crypto-Jews. This testimony also shows the importance of women in the transmission of Jewish religious traditions in the hearts of the Crypto-Jews. In the absence of a rabbi to function as spiritual head of the community, the duty of transmitting the religious beliefs, prayers and songs from one generation to another fell to the crypto-Jewish women. These women had memorized many poems that were recited and sung in the families’ religious ceremonies. Leonor was the first to describe and sing to the Inquisition the typical Shabbat songs of Jewish communities of Spain and Portugal of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. In the protocols of the trial of Leonor de Carvajal there are fourteen religious poems. Some of them are complete and others consist of only one or two stanzas. Among them are songs of moaning and of supplications to God, a Dekalogue in the form of a verse and songs of praise to God. The Following poem is found in the transcript of her trial: Cantemos con alegria Let us sing with joy Alavanças al Señor Of the glory of the Lord Le a faltado su favor. Though His favor is lacking. Cantemos como esparando Let us sing with hope El sancto rey Josaphat Of the holy king Josaphat Por piedad aguardando For granting mercy En tiempo de adversidad. In times of adversity La divina Magistad The divine majesty Mostro para su loor; He showed to his glory Que nadie que de el se fia May no one who believes in Him No le falta su favor. Lack his favor. Estaba un cuento de gentes There is a legend of people Y otras muchas millaradas, And many billion others Que cubrian tierra y mares Who carry this holy order Contra este sancto obedients Over land and sea. Mostro el Omnipotente The true defender Verdardero defenssor; Shows his omnipotence, Que nadie que El se fia May no one who believes in Him No le falta su favor. Lack his favor. Enbiole Dios un propheta God sends a prophesy Que a los suyos animasse To those whom he has given life Y que con voluntad recta And willingly and righteously En el siempre confieasse, On him we always rely Porque sin que peleasse He showed us the Lord Le mostraría el Señor; Because without a struggle Que nadie que El confia May no one who relies on him No le falta su favor Lack his favor This fragment of a poem appears only in the trial of Leonor and does not figure in the trials of the rest of the family: Yo dixe con gran dolor, I say with great pain ¡Ay! Que en medio de mis días Ay! That in the middle of my days Volví as las puertas sombrías I returned to the dark doors De esta carçel por mi herror Of this cell because of my error Y por las maldades mías, etc. And because of my bad deeds. This poem warns against lighting Sabbath candles lest one would forget the terrible consequences. En todas vuestras moradas In all of your homes Fuego no ençendáis Do not light a flame En el sábado que holgáis On the Sabbath of rest Porque serán condemnadas Because your soul will Las almas si tal obráis Be condemned for this act Charles Faulhaber of the The Bancroft Library, Berkeley, writes “The Bancroft Library has the original trial records of three of the members of the Carvajal family, along with about 100 other Mexican Inquisition trial records. The complete listing may be found at: http://www.oac.cdlib.org/” This is the home page for the Online Archive of California. Go to "Browse/Search Finding Aids" and search for "Inquisition" in the search box at the bottom of the page. Mr. Faulhaber’s email address is: cfaulhab@library.berkeley.edu. |
Society For Crypto Judaic Studies
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