: Rather than remaining on the fringes of society, these families successfully integrated into the highest echelons of Spanish power. By the early 1500s, the family was even contesting the succession to the papacy and holding prominent ecclesiastical and government positions across the Spanish Empire.
: A significant portion of the work focuses on the city of Plasencia in the 15th century. Here, the families used marriages and alliances to resolve long-standing disputes between the knight-dominated city council and the cathedral chapter, essentially "creating" a new communal identity through their cooperation. Creating Conversos : The Carvajal–Santa MarГa F...
: The narrative follows the family as they joined the "enterprise of the Americas," migrating to colonial outposts in Mexico and Bolivia . This migration offered economic opportunities and a chance to "remake" their identities away from the increasing scrutiny of the Iberian Peninsula. The Tragedy of the Mexico City Inquisition : Rather than remaining on the fringes of
While many branches of the family flourished as devout Catholics, others maintained their ancestral Jewish faith in secret as . This dual identity eventually led to a violent confrontation with the Holy Office of the Inquisition in colonial Mexico: Here, the families used marriages and alliances to
The book Creating Conversos: The Carvajal–Santa María Family in Early Modern Spain by Roger Louis Martínez-Dávila explores the complex social and religious transformation of Sephardic Jews who converted to Catholicism between the 14th and 16th centuries. By tracing the "family confederation" formed through the intermarriage of the (formerly the rabbinic ha-Levi lineage of Burgos) and the Carvajal (an "Old Christian" noble line) families, Martínez-Dávila challenges traditional narratives of converso marginalization. Core Themes and Historical Arc