Under the edict of March 31, 1492, known as the Alhambra Decree, approximately 200,000 Jews left Spain. Following the Alhambra decree of 1492, approximately 50,000 Jews took baptism so as to remain in Spain; however, many of these—known as "Marranos" from Corinthians II, a contraction of anathema—were "crypto-jews" and secretly kept some of their Jewish traditions.[13]
Careful. The Thread Police may insist you transfer this to “Genealogy” or “Religion”. lol
BTW notice that the year 1492 is also when Columbus skipped town. A recent book by Steve Berry suggests (actually says) that ole Chris was a Jew getting out of Spain just in time, and that he brought all the Jewish gold with him and hid it in Jamaica. You’d like the book.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Columbus-Affair-Novel-Admirals/dp/034552652X