New Mexico's Crypto-Jews : image and memory / photographs by Cary Herz ; introduction by Ori Z. Soltes ; afterword by Mona Hernandez.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Herz, Cary.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Crypto-Jews--New Mexico--Pictorial works.

Crypto-Jews.

Crypto-Jews--New Mexico--History.

Jews--New Mexico--Pictorial works.

Jews.

Jews--New Mexico--History.

Hispanic Americans--New Mexico--Pictorial works.

Hispanic Americans.

Hispanic Americans--New Mexico--History.

New Mexico.

Genre:

illustrated books.

Illustrated works.

History.

Pictorial works.

Physical Description:

xix, 153, [1] pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Albuquerque : University of New Mexico Press, 2007.

Summary:

"While photographing the Congregation Montefiore Cemetery in Las Vegas, New Mexico, in 1985, Cary Herz first heard whispers about "the other people." Thus began a twenty-year search for descendants of crypto-Jews, the Sephardic Jews who were forced to convert to Catholicism during the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions centuries ago. Many openly professed Catholicism, but continued to practice the Jewish faith privately."

"Herz's photographs and the accompanying essays honor the people whose ancestors, through families' oral histories and genealogical records, knew about their heritage. Other New Mexican Hispanics have recently begun to explore their families' customs and are only beginning to examine their possible blended lineage. To help complete her exploration, Herz sought out symbols - gravesites, artifacts, and icons - that might point toward the presence of the descendants of crypto-Jews who came to the New World. There has recently been a renewed interest in crypto-Jews, as DNA tests have revealed the Jewish heritage of a number of Hispanic New Mexicans."--Jacket.

Contents:

Introduction: Art, history, memory, identity, truth: the art and craft of Cary Herz / Ori Z. Soltes

Descendants

Headstones: persistence of memory

Biblical names

Portugal and Spain, 1994 and 2000

Cultural collections: objects, folk art, and theatre

Afterword: La Conquistadora: A Crypto-Jewish connection / Mona Hernandez.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 152-154).

ISBN:

9780826342898

0826342892

0826342906

9780826342904

OCLC:

124075008