Colombia

Sephardic Jews of Colombia

Colombia was formerly the audencia of Santa Fe de Bogotá.

Sephardim in Colombia would have been living as Catholics, so details of births, marriages and deaths – if they survive – will be found in Church records. It is also worth checking Spanish records, especially those of the Casa de Contratación (for travel and trade) and Inquisition. A search of the Spanish records under Colombia and judaizante gave the names below, but there likely to be many others. I find the Spanish website can give different results for the same search.

Palace of the Inquisition, Cartagena, Colombia. Photo from 1875

Cartagena Tribunal of the Inquisition

The Cartagena Tribunal of the Inquisition was one of several Inquisition tribunals established by the Spanish Crown in the New World. The Tribunal operated in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, from 1610 to 1821.

I have not researched prisoners of the Cartagena Tribunal, but obvious places to look are:

Sephardic Jewish Genealogy of Colombia

Name – File – Date

  • Luis Gómez Barreto – INQUISICIÓN,4817,Exp.18 – 1654/1658
  • Juan Rodríguez Mejía – INQUISICIÓN,1623,Exp.7 – 1780/1782
  • Luis Fernández Suárez – INQUISICIÓN,1620,Exp.11 – 1638/1643
  • Luis Franco – INQUISICIÓN,1620,Exp.5 – 1624/1649
  • Luis Gómez Barreto – INQUISICIÓN,1620,Exp.18 – 1636/1652
  • Manuel Álvarez Prieto – INQUISICIÓN,1620,Exp.15 – 1649/1651
  • Manuel de Acosta Sossa – INQUISICIÓN,1621,Exp.1 – 1638/1652
  • Pedro López – INQUISICIÓN,1620,Exp.6 – 1625/1628
  • Diego Muñoz de Alvarado – INQUISICIÓN,1731,Exp.36 – 1679/1684

A search for Cartagena also gave:

  • Bernardo de Silva – INQUISICIÓN,1623,Exp.10 – 1773/1774
  • Sebastián Rodríguez – INQUISICIÓN,1620,Exp.12 – 1641/1643

“Sephardic Networks and the Guajira Peninsula Contraband in the 17th Century” by Christian Cwik

Colombia – Archivo General de la Nacion is the national archive. Two books I have seen mentioned are:

  • Manifiesto histórico de los procedimientos del Tribunal del Santo Oficio,      de la Inquisicion de Cartagena de las Indias en los sucessos de los     años de 1681 y siguientes hasta el de 1687_(Cadiz, 1681, 58 pages)
  • La Inquisición en Cartagena de Indias_byJosé Toribio Medina (Carlos Valencia Editores, 1978)

An article by Ron Duncan-Hart on The Society For Crypto Judaic Studies website has the following names:

  • Juan Rodríguez Mesa
  • Duarte Lopez Mesa
  • Juan del Campo
  • Manuel Álvarez Prieto
  • Francisco Piñero
  • Blas de Paz Pinto
  • Luis Gómez Barreto
  • Francisco de Heredia
  • Manuel López de Noroña
  • Manuel de Acosta
  • Manuel de Fonseca Enríquez
  • Antonio Rodríguez Ferrerín
  • Francisco Rodríguez Carnero
  • Luis Fernández Suárez
  • Fernán López de Acosta
  • Francisco de Ortega
  • Manuel Franco Diaz
  • Francisco de Silva Castillo
  • Melchor Báez Méndez
  • Francisco Rodríguez de Solís

See also Cincuenta Años de Inquisición en el Tribunal de Cartagena by Anna María Splendiani, José Enrique Sánchez Bohórquez, Emma Cecilia Luque de Salazar

Museum of the Inquisition in Cartagena, located in the former Palacio de la Inquisición.

Newberry Library in the the United States has a copy of a short document on Inquisition activities in Cartagena in 1681 and 1687. Title: Manifiesto historico de los procedimientos del tribunal del santo oficio de la Inquisicion de Cartagena de las Indias en los sucessos de los años de 1681. y siguientes hasta el de 1687 : que ofrece, aquel tribunal, al exmo. señor inquisidor general, y señores del Consejo supremo de la santa, y general inquiscion. Published: [Cadiz] : [s.n.], [1688?]. Physical Description: [2], 28 [i.e. 29], [1] leaves ; 28 cm. (fol.). Includes: Includes bibliographical references.

It is reported that a number of families in the department of Antioquia have a tradition that they are of Jewish descent. There is superficial genetic evidence to support this belief. It is suggested there is also some literary evidence. Elsewhere these beliefs are dismissed as a “fable”.

A number of people in Colombia, tried for judaizing, reported in the Spanish archives include:

  • Luis Franco             1624 / 1649 From Lisbon and living in Zaragoza, Colombia.
  • Pedro López             1625 / 1628 From Castelo Branco in Portugal and living in Zaragoza.
  • Luis Gómez Barreto      1636 / 1652 From Viseu, Portugal, and living in Cartagena.
  • Manuel de Acosta Sossa  1638 / 1652 From Lisbon and living in Cartagena.
  • Luis Fernández Suárez   1638 / 1643 From Lisbon, living in Cartagena.
  • Manuel Álvarez Prieto   1649 / 1651 From Cabeço de Vide in Portugal, and living in Cartagena.
  • Luis Gómez Barreto      1654 / 1658 Living in Cartagena.
  • Diego Muñoz de Alvarado 1679 / 1684 From Popayán in Colombia, but living in Mexico.

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