Cambio cultural y primeras conversiones en Coro, Venezuela: 1855.

The article analyzes the beginnings of cultural change in the Sephardic community of Coro, Venezuela, based on three conversion events to Catholicism in 1855. These baptisms marked the lack of cohesion and structural weakness of the small community, which never had a synagogue or a rabbi. The individuals who converted faced Venezuelan culture, which imposed the Catholic faith. It is concluded that the offer of a new religious interpretation and the attraction of the Catholic world were more convenient than their own Jewish identity. The article also deals with cultural and economic disagreements in Venezuela in the years 1831 and 1855, as well as the active participation of the Levy Maduro and Curiel families in the community life of Curaçao and their migration to Coro, Venezuela. In addition, tensions between Jewish merchants and local authorities due to unpaid loans are mentioned, as well as the economic prosperity of the Jewish community during the Guzmancista period starting in 1870. The legal and religious limitations faced by the Jewish community at that time are also discussed, as well as tensions between criollo groups and non-Catholic immigrants. Finally, the influence of external and internal factors on the conversions to Catholicism of Jewish men in Coro, Venezuela is explored. [Extracted from the article]