Spanish and Portuguese Jews who converted to Christianity, between the 14th and 15th centuries, often under duress from the Spanish Inquisitiona religious court established by the Spanish monarchy in 1478 to combat heresy and maintain Catholic orthodoxy; also involved suspected practices of witchcraft, or other beliefs considered deviations from the Catholic faith; primarily targeted Jews and Muslims More. They were also known as “New Christians” and/or “Marranos.” (derogatory pig people). They were caught between their Jewish cultureculture is not genetically inherited, it is shared, learned, and dynamic- never static and their new Christian faith, which led to a complex and difficult new identitythe name of a person, along with the qualities, beliefs, etc., that make a particular person or a group different from others.
