Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

Who is Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz?

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, born Juana Inés de Asbaje y Ramírez de Santillana near Mexico City in New Spain, was a self-taught scholar, poet, and nun of the Hieronymite order. A prodigy who reportedly learned to read as a small child, she became a lady-in-waiting at the viceregal court before entering the convent, where she could pursue study and writing. She amassed one of the largest private libraries in the colony and wrote poetry, plays, and philosophical prose in Spanish and other languages. Her poem 'Hombres necios' criticized the double standards men applied to women, and her 'Respuesta a Sor Filotea de la Cruz' is a landmark defense of women's right to education and intellectual life. Facing pressure from church authorities late in life, she gave up her studies and library. She died during an epidemic while caring for her sisters. Today she is celebrated as a foundational figure of Latin American literature and early feminism.

Sources: Octavio Paz, 'Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz o las trampas de la fe' (1982) · Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, 'Respuesta a Sor Filotea de la Cruz' (1691)