Professor, Historian, and Digital Humanist
I am an expert in the cultural, religious, and intellectual developments across medieval Europe and the Mediterranean World, with a special emphasis on Christian, Jewish, and Islamic interrelations. I am a specialist in the 2,500 year history of Sephardic Jews and their descendents — from Phoenician Spain to Spanish America. Using digital tools — for example, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and citizen science — I research, teach, and communicate using novel methods that awaken history for the public and students.
Biography
I am a fusion of Mexican-American and Spanish identities — English-Spanish bilingual and bicultural. My love of history was sparked as a U.S. teenager living under the auspices of the U.S. Embassy in La Paz, Bolivia, in the late 1980s. I was inspired by hiking the Andean Inca Trail, visiting the pre-Columbian Bolivian site of Tiahuanaco, revering the Incas’ Machu Pichu, and finding great curiosity in the Spanish-indigenous fusion of La Paz and Cuzco.
My endearing connection to interrelgious history is driven by a life-long relationship with Spain (including residence) and by my deceased father’s lifelong question — “Who are we?” A question I answered in my first book, Creating Conversos: The Carvajal-Santa María Family in Early Modern Spain (2018), which explores the 14th century creation of my own family — a mixture of Spanish Catholic knightly families and Jewish rabbinic families. Somos católicos, somos judíos. We are the resilient, but fractured conversos.
Presently, I serve on the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute’s Commission for the Celebration of Spain’s Relationship with the United States 1776-2026: America&Spain250. At the Primeras Jornadas “America&Spain250”: Conmemorando los doscientos cincuenta años de las relaciones entre España y Estados Unidos 1776-2026 on May 23-24, 2024, I presented the lecture, “Traigo nuevas de las Américas. Presencia sefardita en el suroeste de los Estados Unidos.”
In December 2023, I launched Personal Journeys: Identity, Motivation, and Resilience, a coursera.org three-course Massive Open Online Course specialization. It explores the Renaissance’s cultural and intellectual legacy and modern global perspectives, focusing on self-discovery, motivation, and overcoming societal challenges. The courses offer an intellectual tapestry designed to foster resilience and growth in both personal and professional spheres.
I was the co-curator for the New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and its exhibition, Fractured Faiths: Spanish Judaism, The Inquisition, and New World Identities (2016). The exhibition revealed the comprehensive story of how Spain’s Jewry found a tenuous foothold in North America. A collection of essays and catalogue of the exhibition is available via the University of New Mexico Press and the article, “Shields of Grace” in El Palacio preserve its memory.
My travel and life abroad reflect my global perspective of the Middle Ages — delving into the mixed Mediterranean and Gothic cultures of Spain, Portugal, Italy, and North Africa, as well as the Frankish and Germanic peoples of France and the Low Countries. To this end, along with my colleague, Prof. Dr. Lynn Ramey at Vanderbilt University, we created a community of a dozen scholars investigating the Immersive Global Middle Ages via the digital humanities and virtual reality, which was funded by the U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities (2021-2023).
From 2014 to 2023, I created and advanced the Deciphering Secrets: Unlocking the Manuscripts of Medieval Spain project. The collaborative citizen science effort, which engaged approximately 50,000 Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) learners on coursera.org, focused on revealing the interreligious relations of Jews, Christians, Muslims, and religious converts during the 12th through 16th centuries. Through onsite video lectures in cathedrals and former synagogues, interviews with museum and cultural specialistists, and a two-week paleography program for learners, we collectively studied history and made history by transcribing manuscripts. The highlights of this intellectual, religious, and cultural journey continue as ongoing MOOC on cousera.org — Coexistence in Medieval Spain: Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
Presently, I am a Professor (Catedrático) of History at the University of Colorado - Colorado Springs (2010-present), and previously, a CONEX Marie Curie Fellow at the Universidad de Carlos III de Madrid (2015-2018) and the David H. Burton Postdoctoral Fellow at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia (2008-2010).
I hold a Ph.D. in History and a B.A. in Humanities from the University of Texas at Austin, as well as a Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) from the University of California – Berkeley.
How I can help you
Delivering expert knowledge through consulting and cultural and educational programing.
I offer services in evaluating the historical content, significance, and authenticity of manuscripts and material culture from Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and American sources (10th through 18th centuries). I have substantial field research in ecclesiastical, state, and private archive and museum collections, including the Arquivos Secretos do Vaticano (Vatican City), Archivo Histórico Nacional de España (Madrid), Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo (Lisbon), and Archivo General de la Nación (Mexico City).
My cultural programming expertise includes exhibition research and writing, lecture series, and virtual reality demonstrations, which designed to bring history to life and foster a deeper understanding of our shared heritage.
Facilitating collaborative research and learning among faculty, students, and the public.
As a historian specializing in the intercultural exchanges of the Iberian, American, and Mediterranean worlds, I facilitate collaborative research and learning among faculty, students, and the public through the Plus Ultra Collective, a nonprofit organization I founded. Through interdisciplinary projects, digital humanities initiatives, and public engagement, I create opportunities for scholars and communities to explore shared cultural heritage. My work includes designing research collaborations, leading workshops, and developing digital exhibitions that integrate historical scholarship with emerging technologies. By bridging academia and public audiences, I make historical research accessible and foster meaningful dialogue on the past’s relevance to contemporary society.
Discovering your family history through original archival and library research.
I offer Scholarly Research Investigations for LatinX, Mexican, Caribbean, Brazilian, and Sephardic Jewish families seeking to document their heritage. Each 20-30 page report includes familial analysis, historical and cultural context, and genealogical data, using primary sources from the 13th-18th centuries.
To assess feasibility, I request family history details, including origins and surnames. I conduct two hours of free preliminary research, and if viable, I provide a proposal. Fees range from $750 to $1,500, with an 80% success rate in tracing families in historical records.
Experience the history and culture of medieval Spain.
A video series on Iberian intercultural relations from Visigothic era to Catholic Spain, exploring Christian Hispania, Jewish Sefarad, and Islamic al-Andalus.
La Reimaginación de la Edad Media Global: Un enfoque de inteligencia artificial para explorar los intercambios culturales
A Spanish-language presentation at the 50th Anniversary of International Week of Medieval Studies in Estella, Spain (July 2024)
Explore the Renaissance origins of our modern identities.
A video series exploring selfhood, identity, and influences across history, philosophy, psychology, sociology, digital realms, and global perspectives. Delve into ancient to modern theories, including Plato and Descartes, analyze psychological and social impacts on identity, and examine digital identity management. Investigate globalization's impact on cultural and hybrid identities.
Traigo nuevas de las Américas: Presencia sefardita en el suroeste de Estado Unidos
A Spanish-language presentation at Primeras Jornadas - America&Spain250: Conmemorando los doscientos cincuenta años de las relaciones entre España y Estados Unidos 1776-2026, hosted by the La Fundación Ramón Areces y Queen Sofía Spanish Institute, Madrid, Spain (May 2024)
Connect with Dr. Roger Martínez-Dávila on LinkedIn.
Let’s chat
I look forward to hearing from you.