New Christians / Sephardic Jews in Peru
The Viceroyalty of Peru (Spanish: Virreinato del Perú) covered Spanish South America and Panama. The map below shows the six audencias in 1650, superimposed over a map showing the modern borders.
 | The audencias were: 1. Panamá 2. Santa Fe de Bogotá 3. Quito 4. Lima 5. La Plata de los Charcas 6. Chile Note that the border with Brazil in the west is the one dictated by the Treaty of Tordesillas between Spain and Portugal. |
Historic Archives in Peru
Below are some relevant historic archives:
Archivo General de Indias (AGI) – The AGI contains many records related to the administration of colonial Peru, including those of the Audiencia of Lima, which was the highest court in the region.
Archivo Arzobispal de Lima (AAL) – The AAL contains a variety of records related to the Catholic Church in colonial Peru, including sacramental records, administrative records, and correspondence.
Archivo General de la Nación del Perú (AGN) – The AGN contains a wide range of records related to colonial Peru, including those related to government administration, land titles, and indigenous communities.
Biblioteca Nacional del Perú (BNP) – The BNP has a large collection of manuscripts and printed books related to colonial Peru, including those related to the Inquisition.
Archivo Histórico del Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición en Lima (AHTSOI) – The AHTSOI contains the records of the Inquisition in Lima, including trials, investigations, and other administrative documents. This may be part of the BNP or Ministry of Culture.
Sephardic Jewish Genealogy in Peru
Below is a list of 33 believed Lima autos-de-fe that I have identified from online sources. It is an incomplete and unproven list. New Christians and Jews may not have appeared at all of these autos.
| Month | Year |
| 1573 | |
| Apr 13 | 1578 |
| 1580 | |
| 1581 | |
| 1582 | |
| 1605 | |
| 1608 | |
| Jun 17 | 1612 |
| Dec 21 | 1625 |
| Aug 17 | 1635 |
| Jan 23 | 1639 |
| Nov 17 | 1641 |
| 1660 | |
| Feb 16 | 1666 |
| Mar 16 | 1693 |
| Dec 20 | 1694 |
| Nov 28 | 1719 |
| Sept 21 | 1720 |
| July 12 | 1733 |
| Dec 23 | 1736 |
| Nov 11 | 1737 |
| Jun 10 | 1740 |
| Feb 7 | 1741 |
| Mar 2 | 1742 |
| Feb 7 | 1743 |
| Oct 19 | 1749 |
| Apr 6 | 1761 |
| Sept 1 | 1773 |
| Feb 18 | 1800 |
| Aug 27 | 1803 |
| Sept 19 | 1805 |
| July 17 | 1806 |
| 1825 |
Anales de la inquisición de Lima: estudio histórico by Ricardo Palma is available free online.
There isn’t a Jewish genealogical society in Peru, but maybe the Instituto Peruano de Investigaciones Genealógicas can be helpful.
Precious metals were the basis of the economy. Mercury – which is used to extract silver from ores – was mined in Huancavélica, for use in both Peru and Potosi.
The Peruvian Congress website reports that twenty three people were condemned to death for judaising between 1595 and 1736, ending in the famous case of Ana de Castro. The main purge seems to have been in 1639, just as Portugal was securing its independence from Spain. Presumably all or most of the ‘Portuguese’ listed below were Jews, and some of the ‘Spanish’. The last case – Ana de Castro – was Jewish.
A search on the words Peru and judaizante in the Spanish archives gave the following names. Of course, this is just a partial search.
| Name | Start Date |
| Manuel López | 1585 |
| Duarte Núñez de Cea | 1593 |
| Manuel Bautista Pérez | 1624 |
| Garci Méndez de Dueñas | 1625 |
| Diego de Ovalle | 1627 |
| Mencía de Luna | 1635 |
| Antonio Morón | 1635 |
| Francisco Vázquez | 1635 |
| Francisco de Vergara | 1642 |
| Juan de Loyola | 1749 |
| Agustín Ortíz | 1750 |
| Gregorio Rodríguez Nombela | 1750 |
| Antonio Garibaldo | 1760 |
| Rosa Argote | 1764 |
| Francisco Blanco | 1773 |
| José Fernández | 1775 |
| Juan Dorado | 1775 |
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