Festival Sefardi 2026: A Tapestry of New Mexico Identity

Festival Sefardí, New Mexico’s only annual celebration of the unique history and culture of the Sephardic Jews in the Southwest enters its 17th year with a focus on the complex identities that make up New Mexico’s rich cultural tapestry. The festival, which runs from May 21-24, will feature music, liturgical services, poetry, art, performances, workshops, and lectures by scholars exploring intersections of Jewish, Indigenous, and Hispano realities.

The descendants of Jews who arrived in New Mexico in the late 16th century, fleeing the Spanish Inquisition—known today as the "Conversos," "Anusim," "crypto-Jews," or "Hidden Jews"—constitute a significant but often overlooked portion of New Mexico’s Hispanicpopulation.

During the weekend, an extraordinary group of artists and scholars will help illuminate this profound history, alongside its impact on New Mexico’s multicultural expression. Research and public dialogue will be emphasized, including topics such as The Casta System in NM and its implications for today with Enrique Lamadrid, and a discussion on Indigeneity and Diaspora with Christina Castro, Camila Bustamante, and Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb.

The schedule includes ample time for reflection, conversation, movement, and creativity, encouraging participants to share and process their feelings and insights throughout the weekend. Anthony Fleg will facilitate a writing workshop called Writing to Heal, following an experimental somatic exploration on the themes of paradox and multiplicity with Evie Vigil & Blanca Stacy Villalobos from Song Dog Relations.

Other highlights include Fragments of Ritual and Memory, an art show curated by Janelle Worthington Cardenas, which will investigate the resilience and healing of conflicting Nuevo Mexicano ancestry through diverse artistic mediums installed in the Nahalat Shalom Gallery.
There will also be an interactive ritual performance featuring Spanish translations of Indigenous poets by Sandra Marroquin-Evans and Sarah Hogland-Gurulé, a performance of the Prologue scene of the new version of The Merchant of Santa Fe by Ramón Flores, and a phenomenal closing concert by The Sephardic Borderlands Ensemble, whose sound is a unique integration of Sephardic Jewish hymns with New Mexican and Borderlands style rhythm and music.