Xueta

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Xuetes

Total population
18,000 – 20,000 (approx.)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Majorca
Languages
Catalan, Spanish
Religion
Xueta Christianity, mainstream Catholicism, Crypto-Judaism; some individuals now reverting to mainstream Judaism
Related ethnic groups
Other Jews, especially Iberian Jews

The Xuetes (Catalan pronunciation: [ʃuˈətə]; singular Xueta, also known as Xuetons and spelled as Chuetas) are a social group on the Spanish island of Majorca, in the Mediterranean Sea, who are descendants of Majorcan Jews that either were conversos (forcible converts to Christianity) or were Crypto-Jews, forced to keep their religion hidden. They practiced strict endogamy by marrying only within their own group. Many of their descendants observe a syncretist form of Christian worship known as Xueta Christianity.

The Xuetes were stigmatized up until the first half of the 20th century. In the latter part of the century, the spread of freedom of religion and laïcité reduced both the social pressure and community ties. An estimated 18,000 people in the island carry Xueta surnames in the 21st century, but only a small fraction of the society (including those with Xueta surnames) is aware of the complex history of this group.