First published in 1973, this book traces the history of Luis de Carvajal the Younger and his family in Spain, their migration to the New World, their religious practices, and their adventures in New Spain until one by one they were put to flight or indicted by the Inquisition. Luis himself was burned at the stake in 1596 at the age of thirty. He left behind not only his legacy as an exemplary secret Jew but also valuable literary documents—his memoirs, his last will and testament, and his letters to his mother and sisters in the inquisitorial prison.

“The saga of [Carvajal’s] struggle to maintain freedom of conscience in an oppressive society is here told dramatically [and is] based on precise and detailed research. . . . This volume deserves acclaim as a careful, erudite work on the inquisition in early Mexico.” —Library Journal

“Immaculately researched, provided with rich and useful critical notes, powerfully written, The Martyr is a major contribution to converso studies and to colonial social history in general.”—Hispanic American Historical Review