Secret Mexican diary sheds light on Spanish Inquisition



http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-40029453

A story of torture, betrayal and persecution is captivating Mexicans almost 500 years after it happened.

The dramatic life and death of the Carvajal family in 16th-Century Mexico is in the spotlight after a decades-long search for a national treasure came to an unexpected happy ending.

Luis de Carvajal "The Young" came to Mexico - then known as New Spain - with his large, well-to-do family during the early colonisation of the Americas.

His family governed part of northern Mexico and soon made enemies, including a power-hungry viceroy keen to topple them from power.

The ambitious viceroy discovered that Luis de Carvajal was a practising Jew, a crime punishable by death in the times of the Spanish Inquisition



Older relatives had urged Luis de Carvajal to convert to Catholicism for his own safety, but he staunchly stuck to his faith.

Secret record

When he was first arrested, the authorities let him off with a warning but kept tabs on him.

Far from giving up his religion, Luis de Carvajal became a leader in Mexico's underground Jewish community.

When the inquisitors caught up with him again a few years later, he was sentenced to death. He was just 30 years old.

Before he was executed, he was tortured so badly that he revealed the names of 120 fellow Jewish people, historian Alicia Gojman explains.

His captors forced him to listen as those "heretics", which included his own mother, were tortured in the cell next to him.

"He tried to commit suicide because he couldn't cope with having told them about his family and friends, but didn't manage it," says Ms Gojman.

We know the excruciating details of Luis de Carvajal's persecution because he managed to keep secret diaries.

But these were not any old notebooks. They were painstakingly crafted, miniature manuscripts with almost microscopic handwriting in Latin and Spanish.

Some pages were intricately decorated with gold leaf he scraped from pages of a Bible.

Each of the three memoirs was no larger than a present-day iPhone, most likely so he could keep them hidden away under his hat.

Luis de Carvajal wrote about being a young Jew in the New World, about exploring his heritage and practising his beliefs despite the dangers.

But much of the memoirs focus on his final tragic days before he was burned at the stake, with vivid descriptions of him falling to his knees upon hearing his mother's tortured screams as she was pulled on the rack.

Luis de Carvajal found comfort in poetry, writing verses and prayers to reaffirm his faith in the face of so much cruelty.

Luis de Carvajal's memoirs are treasured by Mexico's Jewish population as chronicles of keeping faith despite the ruthlessness of the Spanish Inquisition.

"Children who go to Jewish schools study the Carvajal family history," says Mauricio Lulka, executive director of the Central Committee for the Jewish Community in Mexico.

For centuries, the delicate manuscripts were kept in Mexico's National Archives. They were treasured as being among the first artefacts documenting the arrival of Jews to the Americas and were studied by researchers from around the world.

But in 1932 they vanished, leading to suspicions among the small group of academics who had access to them that one of them may have stolen the precious diaries. After all, they were small enough to hide under a hat.

With no trace of the documents, the search was eventually suspended and the trail went cold.

More than 80 years after their disappearance, the London auction house Swann in 2016 listed "replicas" of the manuscript at an initial price of $1,500 (£1,150).

But a US collector of Judaica, Leonard Milberg, was suspicious.

Why would someone go to the trouble of recreating the minuscule handwriting of Luis de Carvajal's original to create a replica?

Intrigued, he contacted the Mexican consulate which confirmed that the originals were still missing and sent experts to check the "replicas" out.

Baltazar Brito is the director of the National Library of Anthropology and History in Mexico and one of the experts sent to assess the documents.

"When I got there, something told me they were originals, I knew it in my heart," he says.

For Mr Brito, the documents have relevance beyond their time.

"They tell the story of religious intolerance that we shouldn't let happen again in the world," he says. "Despite that, it still happens."

Leonard Milberg felt the manuscripts belonged in Mexico, so the collector made it his mission to deal with all the international agencies involved and covered the costs of sending them back.

Their safe return was welcome news for Mexico's now thriving Jewish community of about 50,000 people, many of whom were drawn to the country by its modern-day commitment to religious freedom.

After they were briefly exhibited in Mexico City they are now safely stored in a special climate-controlled vault in the National Library of Anthropology and History in Mexico, as no one wants to risk the miniature manuscripts disappearing for another eight decades.

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!

I had no idea there was a Jewish underground in Mexico during the 1500's. Very interesting story.
The longer I live, the more I discover how little I know.

Never again. That is a lesson for every century it seems.

"The only thing new in the world is history you don't know." -- Harry Truman

I'm about 70% through The Complete Story of Civilization, by Will and Ariel Durant, ~12,000 pages, 11 volumes. Right now, I'm reading about the religious strife in England. Cromwell just died and Charles II returned to the throne.

The religious strife across Europe was incredible. From before Luther until, really, almost the present day, the battle between various beliefs was perpetual, enthusiastic and exceedingly unChristian. Those old birds, the Popes, Emperors, Kings, Dukes, Cardinals, Bishops, Earls and other big shots were so consumed with hatred and intolerance for anyone and everyone who did not believe as they did that they had no time, energy or money to fight with the Ottoman Turks. Entire towns were massacred, wiped out in the most hideous ways, burning, hanging, drawing and quartering, tongues ripped out, and even all of the above.

what's throwing me off is that the diaries are ornate with gold leaf scraped from bibles??

that doesn't figure with me. I'm not saying it's a hoax, I'm just baffled.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!

The Inquisition.... what a show.

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
what's throwing me off is that the diaries are ornate with gold leaf scraped from bibles??

that doesn't figure with me. I'm not saying it's a hoax, I'm just baffled.

I'm skeptical about this. He's in a jail cell - a prisoner of the Spanish Inquisition - and is able to keep finely crafted and almost microscopically written secret diaries under his hat to prevent discovery? And if this were even possible, what's the likelihood of them not being found after he's gone and his cell is cleared for the next inmate? Sounds a bit like the Hitler Diaries hoax.

As for memorializing the guy, he gave up over 120 people - including his mother - to be brutally tortured to death, and this is considered as keeping faith?

quote:

Originally posted by marksman41:

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
what's throwing me off is that the diaries are ornate with gold leaf scraped from bibles??

that doesn't figure with me. I'm not saying it's a hoax, I'm just baffled.

I'm skeptical about this. He's in a jail cell - a prisoner of the Spanish Inquisition - and is able to keep finely crafted and almost microscopically written secret diaries under his hat to prevent discovery? And if this were even possible, what's the likelihood of them not being found after he's gone and his cell is cleared for the next inmate? Sounds a bit like the Hitler Diaries hoax.

As for memorializing the guy, he gave up over 120 people - including his mother - to be brutally tortured to death, and this is considered as keeping faith?

I wasn't there so I don't know, but I doubt his torturers mentioned their intent to torture those he gave up. In torture, anything can be said or done to move a man to break. No one can hold out through everything. Imagine what they must have done to him and then the good cop comes in to lie to a broken man. Should we judge that broken man? I wouldn't. We shouldn't.

Turn the tables. If there were an anti Christian inquisition and torture without ethics nor limits ruled the day. How long would I last if they ripped my finger nails out one by one before I believed them when they said all they wanted was to know who else was a Christian so they could move them elsewhere......some place nice with an ocean view and endless shrimp? How long? I'm a fairly tough guy and even more stubborn, but I'd give them up if I believed that lie.

quote:

Originally posted by marksman41:

As for memorializing the guy, he gave up over 120 people - including his mother - to be brutally tortured to death, and this is considered as keeping faith?

Knowing what we know about torture, yeah, I think he probably told everything he knew when the upper mind checked out and the lizard brain said "Do whatever you need to do to make it stop."

Taking info to your death or keeping your mouth shut is a great idea, but I sincerely doubt it's terribly practical to expect it, especially of one born to privilege and wealth.

This Inquisition https://youtu.be/5ZegQYgygdw

quote:

Originally posted by darthfuster:

quote:

Originally posted by marksman41:

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
what's throwing me off is that the diaries are ornate with gold leaf scraped from bibles??

that doesn't figure with me. I'm not saying it's a hoax, I'm just baffled.

I'm skeptical about this. He's in a jail cell - a prisoner of the Spanish Inquisition - and is able to keep finely crafted and almost microscopically written secret diaries under his hat to prevent discovery? And if this were even possible, what's the likelihood of them not being found after he's gone and his cell is cleared for the next inmate? Sounds a bit like the Hitler Diaries hoax.

As for memorializing the guy, he gave up over 120 people - including his mother - to be brutally tortured to death, and this is considered as keeping faith?

I wasn't there so I don't know, but I doubt his torturers mentioned their intent to torture those he gave up. In torture, anything can be said or done to move a man to break. No one can hold out through everything. Imagine what they must have done to him and then the good cop comes in to lie to a broken man. Should we judge that broken man? I wouldn't. We shouldn't.

Turn the tables. If there were an anti Christian inquisition and torture without ethics nor limits ruled the day. How long would I last if they ripped my finger nails out one by one before I believed them when they said all they wanted was to know who else was a Christian so they could move them elsewhere......some place nice with an ocean view and endless shrimp? How long? I'm a fairly tough guy and even more stubborn, but I'd give them up if I believed that lie.

I was curious to learn more and found this link:

http://americanjewisharchives....8_20_01_00_cohen.pdf

The story in the OP (not a reflection on the poster) is a very, very abbreviated version that leaves out vast detail.

The story is real. The manuscript has been verified by numerous experts (who can scientifically date the manuscripts) and there is good reason for them to be the way they are.

The 'diaries' were written largely while he was working with access to a very large library - after his first arrest and before the 2nd, which was 6 years later.

Some of the pages that were from his 2nd imprisonment were from when the guards caught him trying to sneak a note to his sister and mother and started giving him materials to write with, not letting on that they were intercepting the letters - they were hoping he would implicate them. They were kept by the Inquisitors as 'evidence'.

From the document I linked - he circumcised himself with a pair of old scissors when he converted...I'd say he had a pretty high threshold for pain!

If interested, more details in these articles:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/0...ery-solved.html?_r=0

http://www.timesofisrael.com/l...ican-jewish-exhibit/

quote:

Originally posted by Otto Pilot:

quote:

Originally posted by marksman41:

As for memorializing the guy, he gave up over 120 people - including his mother - to be brutally tortured to death, and this is considered as keeping faith?

Knowing what we know about torture, yeah, I think he probably told everything he knew when the upper mind checked out and the lizard brain said "Do whatever you need to do to make it stop."

Taking info to your death or keeping your mouth shut is a great idea, but I sincerely doubt it's terribly practical to expect it, especially of one born to privilege and wealth.

Recall reading of a incident where a church official doubted the confessions obtained by torture.he brought two other officials to a torture chamber and told the victim he expected the two were sinners. The woman at once gave the men up in great. Sadly, nothing came of it.
At some point you will confess.

I'm a skeptic. Largely.

quote:

But much of the memoirs focus on his final tragic days before he was burned at the stake, with vivid descriptions of him falling to his knees upon hearing his mother's tortured screams as she was pulled on the rack.

So, did he cobble these together between his first arrest and his second arrest - or put the finishing touches on them in the last days before he was burned at the stake?

Not likely he kept something like that hidden for an extended period.

quote:

Originally posted by marksman41:

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
what's throwing me off is that the diaries are ornate with gold leaf scraped from bibles??

that doesn't figure with me. I'm not saying it's a hoax, I'm just baffled.

I'm skeptical about this. He's in a jail cell - a prisoner of the Spanish Inquisition - and is able to keep finely crafted and almost microscopically written secret diaries under his hat to prevent discovery? And if this were even possible, what's the likelihood of them not being found after he's gone and his cell is cleared for the next inmate? Sounds a bit like the Hitler Diaries hoax.

Color me skeptical, also.

quote:

As for memorializing the guy, he gave up over 120 people - including his mother - to be brutally tortured to death, and this is considered as keeping faith?

He obviously didn't take lessons from Jesus, or several of the apostles.

The Spanish Jews had to either convert, or leave. The Spanish feared (correctly) that some of these forced conversions were not genuine (imagine that), and this particular Inquisition was set up to find those who were just pretending to have converted.

So, you had a perfect storm at work: Idiotic government (royals) that decided to require a religious test, folks who pretended to convert rather than leave such a benighted realm, and a Church that decided to use torture as an instrument of investigation and death as a punishment with the willing cooperation of the state.

If this were happening today, the state doing so would be an international pariah and forcible regime change would be on the table.

quote:

Originally posted by Jager:
I'm a skeptic. Largely.

quote:

But much of the memoirs focus on his final tragic days before he was burned at the stake, with vivid descriptions of him falling to his knees upon hearing his mother's tortured screams as she was pulled on the rack.

So, did he cobble these together between his first arrest and his second arrest - or put the finishing touches on them in the last days before he was burned at the stake?

Not likely he kept something like that hidden for an extended period.

Yes, read the link I provided. He wrote his autobiography in the 6 years between his first imprisonment and his 2nd. His mother and sister were tortured and released after his first imprisonment - that's when he wrote about it.

Keep in mind that there are verifiable facts:

He was the governor of a province
He was Jewish
The Inquisition kept extremely detailed records - there is no question that he was imprisoned, tortured, gave up the names or that he was released and then arrested again 6 years later and executed.
None of those facts is in question
The books were authenticated and dated, so if fake, they were done by someone in the 1500's
Why would someone from that time frame write his autobiography?
If they faked it to try to inspire others to resistance, wouldn't they try to make him appear more heroic?

As also pointed out in the link I provided, the last few pages were done and preserved by the Inquisitors - he didn't write all of the books and do the gold scroll work while he was in his cell. He didn't bring the books with him when he was arrested, so they weren't missed by the guards.

The original story butchered the timeline and compressed the story into a tangled mess, so the skepticism is natural, but further research indicates that the story is factual.

After his second arrest:
http://americanjewisharchives....8_20_01_00_cohen.pdf

quote:

Only one cloud darkened his horizon.
His mother and sisters, who had also been arrested and consigned
to the same fate, did not share his equanimity and were spending
themselves on despair. Luis-Joseph longed to communicate with
them, to bring them words of cheer and to remind them of the incomparable
glories with which their steadfastness would be rewarded
in the world to come. But he knew that he would be permitted
neither to see them nor to write to them. He therefore devised an
ingenious scheme to get messages to their cells. Inscribing a message
on the bone of an alligator pear, he then hid the bone in a melon
and asked his jailer to bring the fruit to his sister. The jailer, not so
dumb as to be unsuspecting, discovered the trick and dutifully
turned melon and message over to the Inquisitors, who decided not
to punish Luis-Joseph, but to let him believe that his message had
been delivered unintercepted. They told the jailer to feign ignorance
and unobtrusively to supply Luis-Joseph first with more fruit and
later with paper in order that he might continue to write such mes-
sages and perhaps reveal in confidence what the Inquisition might
be unable to extract even with torture. Needless to say, LuisJoseph
regarded all this, too, as a miracle and composed one letter
after another without realizing that the Inquisition would preserve
them all for posterity. Ironically, as sources of information for the
Inquisition, his letters possessed little value; as exemplars of belleslettres
in colonial Mexico, their value is inestimable.
....
As one reads and rereads the letters, the question arises as to
whether Luis-Joseph, far from being duped by the Inquisitors, was
actually not outsmarting them. Expecting that his letters would be
intercepted, he could, by feigning naivete, make statements about
his family's innocence which he hoped the Inquisitors might accept
as facts. He could hardly have failed to know that, even if his first
strange request to his jailer to act as a messenger aroused no suspicion,
his repeated requests would certainly lead to an investigation
and the discovery of his secret. Luis-Joseph realized that, whether
he wrote to his family or not, they would in all likelihood be convicted
and sent to the stake. Yet he understood that if, by writing,
he could instill a doubt in the Inquisitors' minds that his mother
and sisters were impenitent heretics, there was a glimmer of hope
that they might be freed. Luis-Joseph was not one to discount the
possibility of miracles. Indeed, it would not have been too difficult
for him to believe that, if his family's fate were postponed, a second
miracle might occur which would deliver the Mexican Judaizers
forever from the Inquisition's yoke.

quote:

Originally posted by joel9507:
The Spanish Jews had to either convert, or leave. The Spanish feared (correctly) that some of these forced conversions were not genuine (imagine that), and this particular Inquisition was set up to find those who were just pretending to have converted.

So, you had a perfect storm at work: Idiotic government (royals) that decided to require a religious test, folks who pretended to convert rather than leave such a benighted realm, and a Church that decided to use torture as an instrument of investigation and death as a punishment with the willing cooperation of the state.

If this were happening today, the state doing so would be an international pariah and forcible regime change would be on the table.

It is happening today. This is exactly what ISIS is about, and they are an international pariah state (although many states sympathize and provide clandestine assistance) and we're actively trying to regime change the shit out of them.

To add another argument to the mess, it wasn't at all unusual for Europeans of all varieties to wind up in the New World because they wanted to do stuff that they couldn't get away with in Europe. It's not so hard to see conversion to active Judaism when the King and the bulk of the Inquisition are thousands of miles away and you're the provincial governor of a royal colony.