Claves e identidades de los judeoconversos de Lleida según los procesos inquisitoriales a finales del siglo XV

This paper analyses records of the inquisitorial trials of 15 secondgeneration
Jewish converts from Lleida in the final decade of the 15th century. The
individuals on trial were largely modest artisans, the majority of them women, from
families of considerable importance in the city. The documents studied reveal that
the tried converts shared certain characteristics in relation to the most common
observances, such as the celebration of the Yom Kippur fast, Passover and the Sabbath,
as well as various practices involving culinary habits and almsgiving, which
generally reflected cultural conventions and served as a channel for socialisation and
the expression of personal identity. While the practices in question were not acquired
in a family context during childhood, parental prompting was a major factor in
engaging in them. The records also point to substantial scepticism about Christianitys
principles among the accused, many of whom secretly believed in the Mosaic
religion as the true path to salvation.