Juana Inés De La Cruz
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Juana Inés de Asbaje y Ramírez de Santillana, better known as Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (12 November 1651 – 17 April 1695), was a Hieronymite
nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...
and a Mexican writer, philosopher, composer and poet of the
Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
period, nicknamed "The Tenth Muse", "The Mexican Phoenix", and "The Phoenix of America" by her contemporary critics. She was also a student of science and corresponded with the English scientist Isaac Newton. She was among the main contributors to the
Spanish Golden Age The Spanish Golden Age (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Siglo de Oro'', , "Golden Century"; 1492 – 1681) was a period of literature and the The arts, arts in Spain that coincided with the political rise of the Spanish Empire under the Catholic M ...
, alongside Juan de Espinosa Medrano, Juan Ruiz de Alarcón and Garcilaso de la Vega "''el Inca"'', and is considered one of the most important female writers in Spanish language literature and Mexican literature. Sor Juana's significance to different communities and has varied greatly across time- having been presented as a candidate for Catholic sainthood; a symbol of Mexican nationalism; and a paragon of
freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...
,
women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...
, and sexual diversity, making her a figure of great controversy and debate to this day.


Life


Early life

Juana was born in San Miguel Nepantla (presently ''Nepantla de Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz'') near
Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
as the illegitimate daughter of Don Pedro Manuel de Asuaje y Vargas-Machuca (1602-1680), a Spanish navy captain from the
Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...
involved in colonial transatlantic shipping and trade, and Doña Isabel Ramírez de Santillana y Rendón (1626-1690), a distinguished criolla, whose father leased the ''
Hacienda A ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or '' finca''), similar to a Roman '' latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards ...
de Panoayan'', near Mexico City.There are two different baptism registrations that have been attributed to her, one under the name of "Juana" in 1648, and another one under the name of "Inés" in 1651, still a matter of academic research and debate. There is, nevertheless, agreement that she was one of the three children that Doña Isabel Ramírez de Santillana had out of wedlock with Don Pedro de Asuaje. Since Sor Juana’s father left her life at an early age and remained largely unknown to her, Sor Juana's infancy occurred entirely around her mother's family in the ''hacienda'' of Panaoyan, in Amecameca, leased by her maternal grandfather, and home to the ample Ramírez de Santillana family."Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz", Academy of American Poets
/ref> Among her relatives, several women with the name "Inés" have been noted, including her grandmother Inés de Brenes, her maternal-aunt Inés Ramírez de Santillana, and her first-cousin Inés de Brenes y Mendoza, married to a grandson of Antonio de Saavedra Guzmán, the first ever published American-born poet. Later described as a
child prodigy A child prodigy is, technically, a child under the age of 10 who produces meaningful work in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to describe young people who are extraordinarily talented in some f ...
, Sor Juana was educated at home at the ''Hacienda de Papaya'', being exposed to
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
and
Nahuatl Nahuatl ( ; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...
, and learning philosophy, and mathematics. She was given free access to her grandfather's private library, the wide array of which lended itself well to her self-taught studies.Murray, Stuart (2009). The Library: An Illustrated History. Chicago:
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. .
During her childhood, Inés often hid in the ''hacienda'' chapel to read her grandfather's books from the adjoining library, something forbidden to girls. By the age of three, she had learned how to read and write Latin. By the age of five, she reportedly could do accounts. At age eight, she composed a poem on the
Eucharist The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an Ordinance (Christianity), ordinance in ...
. By adolescence, Inés had mastered Greek logic, and at age thirteen she was teaching Latin to young children. For long it was thought that she also learned Nahuatl, an
Aztec The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the Post-Classic stage, post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central ...
language, and wrote short poems in that language as a child, but this has been challenged by more recent scholarship. In 1664, at the age of 16, Inés was sent to live in Mexico City. She asked her mother's permission to disguise herself as a male student so that she could enter the university there, without success. Without the ability to obtain a formal education, Juana continued her studies privately. Her family's influential position had gained her the position of
lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...
at the colonial
viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...
's court, where she came under the tutelage of the Vicereine ''Donna'' Eleonora del Carretto, a member of one of Italy's most prominent families, and wife of the Viceroy of New Spain Don Antonio Sebastián de Toledo, Marquis of Mancera. The viceroy Marquis de Mancera, wishing to test the learning and intelligence of the 17-year-old, invited several theologians, jurists, philosophers, and poets to a meeting, during which she had to answer many questions unprepared and explain several difficult points on various scientific and literary subjects. The manner in which she acquitted herself astonished all present and greatly increased her reputation. Her literary accomplishments garnered her fame throughout New Spain. She was much admired in the viceregal court, and she received several proposals of marriage, which she declined. After joining a
nunnery A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican Comm ...
in 1667, Sor Juana began writing poetry and prose dealing with such topics as love, women's rights, and religion. She turned her nun's quarters into a
salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...
, visited by New Spain's female intellectual elite, including ''Doña'' Eleonora del Carreto, Marchioness of Mancera, and ''Doña'' Maria Luisa Gonzaga, Countess of Paredes de Nava, both ''Vicereines'' of the New Spain, among others. Her criticism of
misogyny Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against Woman, women or girls. It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than Man, men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been wide ...
and the hypocrisy of men led to her condemnation by the Bishop of Puebla, and in 1694 she was forced to sell her collection of books and focus on charity towards the poor. She died the next year, having caught the plague while treating her sisters.


Religious life and name change

In 1667, she entered the
Monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...
of St. Joseph, a community of the Discalced Carmelite nuns, as a
postulant A postulant (from , "to ask") was originally one who makes a request or demand; hence, a candidate. The use of the term is now generally restricted to those asking for admission into a Christian monastery or a religious order for the period precedi ...
, where she remained but a few months. Later, in 1669, she entered the monastery of the Hieronymite nuns, which had more relaxed rules, where she changed her name to Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, probably in reference to Sor Juana de la Cruz Vázquez Gutiérrez who was a Spanish nun whose intellectual accomplishments earned her one of the few dispensations for women to preach the gospel. Another potential namesake was Saint Juan de la Cruz, one of the most accomplished authors of the Spanish Baroque. She chose to become a nun so that she could study as she wished since she wanted "to have no fixed occupation which might curtail my freedom to study." In the convent and perhaps earlier, Sor Juana became intimate friends with Don
Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora (August 14, 1645 – August 22, 1700) was one of the first great intellectuals born in the Americas - Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain (Mexico City). He was a Criollo people, criollo patriot, exalting New Spain ...
, who visited her in the convent's locutorio. She stayed cloistered in the Convent of Santa Paula of the Hieronymite in Mexico City from 1669 until her death in 1695, and there she studied, wrote, and collected a large library of books. The Viceroy and Vicereine of New Spain became her patrons; they supported her and had her writings published in Spain. She addressed some of her poems to paintings of her friend and patron María Luisa Manrique de Lara y Gonzaga, daughter of Vespasiano Gonzaga, Duca di Guastala, Luzara e Rechiolo and Inés María Manrique, 9th Countess de Paredes, which she also addressed as Lísida. In November 1690, the bishop of Puebla, Manuel Fernández de Santa Cruz published, under the pseudonym of Sor Filotea, and without her permission, Sor Juana's critique of a 40-year-old sermon by Father António Vieira, a Portuguese
Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
preacher. Although Sor Juana's intentions for the work, called '' Carta Atenagórica'' are left to interpretation, many scholars have opted to interpret the work as a challenge to the hierarchical structure of the Catholic Church. Along with '' Carta Atenagórica,'' the bishop also published his own letter in which he said she should focus on religious instead of secular studies. He published his criticisms to use them to his advantage against the priest, and while he agreed with her criticisms, he believed that as a woman, she should devote herself to prayer and give up her writings. In response to her critics, Sor Juana wrote a letter, ''Respuesta a Sor Filotea de la Cruz'' (''Reply to Sister Philotea''), in which she defended women's right to formal education. She also advocated for women's right to serve as intellectual authorities, not only through the act of writing, but also through the publication of their writing. By putting women, specifically older women, in positions of authority, Sor Juana argued, women could educate other women. Resultingly, Sor Juana argued, this practice could also avoid potentially dangerous situations involving male teachers in intimate settings with young female students. In 1691, she was reprimanded and ordered to stop writing after the exposure of a private letter in which she wrote of the right of women to education. In addition to her status as a woman in a self-prescribed position of authority, Sor Juana's radical position made her an increasingly controversial figure. She famously remarked by quoting an Aragonese poet and echoing St.
Teresa of Ávila Teresa of Ávila (born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada; 28March 15154or 15October 1582), also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Carmelite nun and prominent Spanish mystic and religious reformer. Active during the Counter-Re ...
: "One can perfectly well philosophize while cooking supper." In response, Francisco de Aguiar y Seijas, Archbishop of Mexico joined other high-ranking officials in condemning Sor Juana's "waywardness." In addition to opposition she received for challenging the
patriarchal Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of authority are primarily held by men. The term ''patriarchy'' is used both in anthropology to describe a family or clan controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males, and in fem ...
structure of the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, Sor Juana was repeatedly criticized for believing that her writing could achieve the same philanthropic goals as community work. By 1693, she seemingly ceased writing to avoid risking official
censure A censure is an expression of strong disapproval or harsh criticism. In parliamentary procedure, it is a debatable main motion that could be adopted by a majority vote. Among the forms that it can take are a stern rebuke by a legislature, a sp ...
. Although there is no undisputed evidence of her renouncing her writing, there are documents showing her agreeing to undergo
penance Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of contrition for sins committed, as well as an alternative name for the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession. The word ''penance'' derive ...
. Her name is affixed to such a document in 1694, but the tone of the supposed handwritten penitentials is in rhetorical and autocratic, in contrast to her normally lyrical style. One is signed "''Yo, la Peor de Todas''" ("I, the worst of all women"). She is said to have sold all her books, then an extensive library of more than 4,000 volumes, as well as her musical and scientific instruments. Other sources report that her defiance toward the Church led to the confiscation of all of her books and instruments, although the bishop himself agreed with the contents of her letters. Of more than one hundred unpublished works, only a few of her writings have survived, which are known as the ''Complete Works''. According to Octavio Paz, her writings were saved by the vicereine. She died after ministering to other nuns stricken during a plague, on 17 April 1695. Sigüenza y Góngora delivered the eulogy at her funeral.


Works


Poetry


''First Dream''

''First Dream'', a long philosophical and descriptive '' silva'' (a poetic form combining verses of 7 and 11 syllables), deals with the shadow of night beneath which a person falls asleep in the midst of quietness and silence. There night and day animals participate, either dozing or sleeping, all urged to silence and rest by Harpocrates. The person's body ceases its ordinary operations, which are described in physiological and symbolical terms, ending with the activity of the imagination as an image-reflecting apparatus: the Pharos. From this moment, her soul, in a dream, sees itself free at the summit of her own intellect; in other words, at the apex of a pyramid-like mount, which aims at God and is luminous. There, perched like an eagle, she contemplates the whole creation, but fails to comprehend such a sight in a single concept. Dazzled, the soul's intellect faces its own shipwreck, caused mainly by trying to understand the overwhelming abundance of the universe, until reason undertakes that enterprise, beginning with each individual creation, and processing them one by one, helped by the ten categories of Aristotle.Olivares Zorrilla, Rocío. "The Eye of Imagination. Emblems in the Baroque Poem The Dream, by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz"
''Emblematica. An Interdisciplinary Journal for Emblem Studies'', volume 18 (2010): 111–61: 115–17.
The soul cannot get beyond questioning herself about the traits and causes of a fountain and a flower, intimating perhaps that his method constitutes a useless effort, since it must take into account all the details, accidents, and mysteries of each being. By that time, the body has consumed all its nourishment, and it starts to move and wake up, soul and body are reunited. The poem ends with the Sun overcoming Night in battle between luminous and dark armies, and with the poet's awakening.


Love poetry

Sor Juana's first volume of poetry, , was published in Spain by the Vicereine Maria Luisa Manrique de Lara y Gonzága, Countess of Paredes, Marquise de la Laguna. Many of her poems dealt with the subject of love and sensuality. Colombian-American translator Jaime Manrique described her poetry thus: "her love poems are expressions of a complex and ambivalent modern psyche, and because they are so passionate and ferocious that when we read them we feel consumed by the naked intensity she achieves." One of Sor Juana's sonnets:


Hombres Necios (Sátira Filosófica) or You foolish men (Philosophical satire)

Sor Juana's ''Hombres Necios (Foolish men)'', written in the 1680s, is among the first proto-feminist literary works in the Americas that explores the
double standard A double standard is the application of different sets of principles for situations that are, in principle, the same. It is often used to describe treatment whereby one group is given more latitude than another. A double standard arises when two ...
s of men while also accusing men of trying to diminish a woman's honor.Loggans, Regan
"Teaching Women's History: Sor Juana Inés De La Cruz, Feminist Poet of ..."
''Teaching Women's History: Sor Juana Inés De La Cruz, Feminist Poet of New Spain'', 22 May 2018.
During seventeenth-century Mexico the society was heavily patriarchal, but Sor Juana managed to publish this work, which added to the backlash she would eventually face from the Church. Yet Sor Juana was driven by a conviction for women's education and was determined to apply her writing to challenge those who believed a woman's intellectual abilities were irrelevant. Erin Elizabeth details how Sor Juana structured the poem to be centered on accusations onto men that elevate the meaning behind the poem. Sor Juana emphasizes the male irrationality with a man's ability and behavior to harm a woman by deeming her as "impure" by ruining her honor and reputation. Sor Juana does this by casting the blame on men arguing that they are the root cause of their mistakes and create problems for women to avoid their own mistakes. Elizabeth argues that by utilizing impurity and the concept of "fall from grace", ''Hombres Necios'' implores the double standards men use on women that creates a path for women leaving them in situations they cannot win.Elizabeth, Erin. "The Oswald Review: An International Journal of Undergraduate Research ...", ''Timeless Feminist Resistance Defying Dominant Discourses in Sor Juana Sor Juana’s“Hombr s“Hombres Necios” And Mar Es Necios” And Margaret Atwood’s “A Women’s Issue,”'' 2010, While also including the names of Thais and Lucretia along with the concept of prostitution to add on how men use women and leave them helpless with nothing but the blame and hatred. Hombres necios explored the idea of why women were frequently held guilty for the sins that men incited onto them."Sor Juana Inés De La Cruz (Mexico, 1648–1695) - University of Michigan". ''Sor Juana Inés De La Cruz (Mexico, 1648–1695)'', David Fyre, https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/davidfrye/wp-content/uploads/sites/281/2015/07/Sor-Juana-sample.pdf . Sor Juana expresses her voice through the use of the
Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
literary style, which was prevalent at her time, in a manner that can be understood. Today it is often seen as a pro-feminist love letter, and even in a "machista" Latin American society it has been popular among the population. ''''


Dramas

In addition to the two comedies outlined here (''House of Desires'' Los empeños de una casa">House_of_Desires.html" ;"title="nowiki/>House of Desires">Los empeños de una casa and ''Love is but a Labyrinth'' ([Amor es mas laberinto]), Sor Juana is attributed as the author of a possible ending to the comedy by Agustin de Salazar: ''The Second Celestina'' (La Segunda Celestina). In the 1990s, Guillermo Schmidhuber found a release of the comedy that contained a different ending than the otherwise known ending. He proposed that those one thousand words were written by Sor Juana. Some literary critics, such as Octavio Paz, Georgina Sabat-Rivers, and Luis Leal) have accepted Sor Juana as the co-author, but others, such as Antonio Alatorre and José Pascual Buxó, have refuted it.


Comedies

Scholars have debated the meaning of Juana's comedies. Julie Greer Johnson describes how Juana protested against the rigorously defined relationship between genders through her full-length comedies and humor. She argues that Juana recognized the negative view of women in comedy which was designed to uphold male superiority at the expense of women. By recognizing the power of laughter, Juana appropriated the purpose of humor, and used it as a socially acceptable medium with which to question notions of men and women. ''Pawns of a House'' The work was first performed on
October 4 Events Pre-1600 *AD 23 – Rebels sack the Chinese capital Chang'an during a peasant rebellion. * 1209 – Otto IV is crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by Pope Innocent III. * 1302 – The Byzantine–Venetian War comes ...
, 1683, during the celebration of the Viceroy Count of Paredes’ first son's birth.García Valdés, pág. 45–50. Some critics maintain that it could have been set up for the Archbishop Francisco de Aguiar y Seijas’ entrance to the capital, but this theory is not considered reliable. The story revolves around two couples who are in love but, by chance of fate, cannot yet be together. This
comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
of errors is considered one of the most prominent works of late baroque Spanish-American literature. One of its most peculiar characteristics is that the driving force in the story is a woman with a strong, decided personality who expresses her desires to a nun. The protagonist of the story, Dona Leonor, fits the
archetype The concept of an archetype ( ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, philosophy and literary analysis. An archetype can be any of the following: # a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main mo ...
perfectly. It is often considered the peak of Sor Juana's work and even the peak of all New-Hispanic literature. ''Pawns of a House'' is considered a rare work in colonial Spanish-American theater due to the management of intrigue, representation of the complicated system of marital relationships, and the changes in urban life. ''Love is but a Labyrinth'' The work premiered on February 11, 1689, during the celebration of the inauguration of the viceroyalty Gaspar de la Cerda y Mendoza. However, in his Essay on Psychology, Ezequiel A. Chavez mentions Fernandez del Castillo as a coauthor of this comedy.Chávez, pág. 140–142. The plot takes on the well-known theme in
Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...
of
Theseus Theseus (, ; ) was a divine hero in Greek mythology, famous for slaying the Minotaur. The myths surrounding Theseus, his journeys, exploits, and friends, have provided material for storytelling throughout the ages. Theseus is sometimes desc ...
: a hero from
Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...
Island. He fights against the
Minotaur In Greek mythology, the Minotaur (, ''Mīnṓtauros''), also known as Asterion, is a mythical creature portrayed during classical antiquity with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "par ...
and awakens the love of
Ariadne In Greek mythology, Ariadne (; ; ) was a Cretan princess, the daughter of King Minos of Crete. There are variations of Ariadne's myth, but she is known for helping Theseus escape from the Minotaur and being abandoned by him on the island of N ...
and
Phaedra Phaedra may refer to: Mythology * Phaedra (mythology), Cretan princess, daughter of Minos and Pasiphaë, wife of Theseus Arts and entertainment * Phaedra (Cabanel), ''Phaedra'' (Cabanel), an 1880 painting by Alexandre Cabanel *House of Phaedra ...
. Sor Juana conceived Theseus as the archetype of the baroque hero, a model also used by her fellow countryman Juan Ruiz de Alarcón. Theseus's triumph over the Minotaur does not make Theseus proud, but instead allows him to be humble.


Music

Besides poetry and philosophy, Sor Juana was interested in science, mathematics and music. The latter represents an important aspect, not only because musicality was an intrinsic part of the poetry of the time but also for the fact that she devoted a significant portion of her studies to the theory of instrumental tuning that, especially in the Baroque period, had reached a point of critical importance. So involved was Sor Juana in the study of music, that she wrote a treatise called ''El Caracol'' (which is lost now) that sought to simplify musical notation and solve the problems that Pythagorean tuning suffered. In the writings of Juana Inés, it is possible to detect the importance of sound. We can observe this in two ways. First of all, the analysis of music and the study of musical temperament appears in several of her poems. For instance, in the following poem, Sor Juana delves into the natural notes and the accidentals of musical notation:
Propiedad es de natura que entre Dios y el hombre media, y del cielo el be cuadrado junto al be bemol de la tierra. (Villancico 220)
Professor Sarah Finley argues that the visual is related with patriarchal themes, while the sonorous offers an alternative to the feminine space in the work of Sor Juana. As an example of this, Finley points out that Narciso falls in love with a voice, and not with a reflection.


Other notable works

One musical work attributed to Sor Juana survives from the archive of Guatemala Cathedral. This is
4-part villancico, ''Madre, la de los primores''
Other works include ''Hombres Necios'' (Foolish Men), and ''The Divine Narcissus''. Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz wrote a letter to her Confessor, Antonio Núñez de Miranda, titled ''Autodefensa Espiritual (Spiritual Self-Defense)'' in 1690'','' ten years before she severs ties after sending the ''Respuesta a Sor Filotea.'' However, unlike the Respuesta, the ''Autodefensa'' has much more biting and frank language used. In the ''Autodefensa'', Sor Juana defends her intellectual pursuits and criticizes the restrictions placed on women's education and opportunities to pursue knowledge. She argues that women have the same rational souls as men and should be able to study and engage in intellectual pursuits. In the ''Autodefensa'' letter, Sor Juana uses this more forceful and confrontational language to reprimand and dismiss her Confessor. This has led scholars to suggest that the Autodefensa was a rehearsal for the arguments she would later make in the Respuesta. In both letters, Sor Juana defends her right to pursue knowledge and critiques the restrictions placed on women's intellectual development''.'' Many of these themes were feminist in nature with one of the most notable being the right of women to be able to study intellectual pursuits. This theme is prevalent in the lines, “But who has prohibited women private and individual studies? Do they not have a rational soul like men? Why should it then not enjoy within them the privilege of enlightenment in an education? Is it not as capable of earning God’s glory and grace as yours? Why should it not be capable of such news and science, a trifle? What divine revelation, what determination of the Church, what dictate of reason made for us such a severe law?” (translated from Tapia Mendez 1993). Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz's Autodefensa Espiritual and Respuesta a Sor Filotea are considered some of the most significant feminist writings of the 17th century. Her advocacy for women's intellectual rights was particularly groundbreaking, as women in her time were often restricted from pursuing academic and intellectual pursuits. Sor Juana's writings challenged patriarchal structures and called for greater gender equality and opportunities for women to pursue their passions. Sor Juana's writings were not only feminist but also expressed her thoughts on politics and religion. She was known for her strong defense of her beliefs and refusal to be silenced, which resulted in her being criticized by the Church and other powerful figures of her time. Despite facing backlash and opposition, Sor Juana continued to write and publish her works. Her work continues to inspire feminists and scholars today, and she is celebrated as a feminist icon and a leading voice in Latin American literature and intellectual thought. Sor Juana's writing also had a significant impact on the development of Mexican literature and culture, and she is considered a national treasure in Mexico.


Translations and interpretations

Octavio Paz is credited with re-establishing the importance of the historic Sor Juana in modern times, and other scholars have been instrumental in translating Sor Juana's work to other languages. The only translations of ''Carta Atenagorica'' are found in ''Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz: Selected Writings'' by Pamela Kirk Rappaport and ''The Tenth Muse: Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz'' by Fanchon Royer. Translations of Sor Juana's ''La Respuesta'' are credited to Electa Arenal and Amanda Powell,
Edith Grossman Edith Marion Grossman (née Dorph; March 22, 1936 – September 4, 2023) was an American literary translator. Known for her work translating Latin American literature, Latin American and Spanish literature to English, she translated the works o ...
, Margaret Seyers Peden, and Alan S. Trubeblood. These translations are respectively found in ''The Answer/La Respuesta, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz: Selected Works'', ''A Woman of Genius: The Intellectual Biography of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz'' and ''Poems, Protest, and a Dream'', and ''A Sor Juana Anthology''. Since Sor Juana's works were rediscovered after her death, scholarly interpretations and translations are both abundant and contrasting.


Octavio Paz

Octavio Paz was a Mexican
Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
laureate and scholar. In his 1982 book, '' Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz o las trampas de la fe'' (translated to English by Margaret Sayers Peden as ''Sor Juana: Or, The Traps of Faith''), Paz examines and contemplates Sor Juana's poetry and life in the context of the history of
New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...
, particularly focusing on the difficulties women then faced while trying to thrive in academic and artistic fields. Primarily, Paz aims to explain why Sor Juana chose to become a nun. In Juana Ramírez, Octavio Paz and Diane Marting find that Sor Juana's decision to become a nun stemmed from her refusal to marry; joining the convent, according to Paz and Marting, was a way for Juana to obtain authority and freedom without marrying. In his analyses of Sor Juana's poetry, Octavio Paz traces some of her influences to the Spanish writers of the
Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during wh ...
and the Hermetic tradition, mainly derived from the works of a noted
Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
scholar of her era,
Athanasius Kircher Athanasius Kircher (2 May 1602 – 27 November 1680) was a German Society of Jesus, Jesuit scholar and polymath who published around 40 major works of comparative religion, geology, and medicine. Kircher has been compared to fellow Jes ...
. Paz interprets Sor Juana's most ambitious and extensive poem, "First Dream" ("Primero Sueño"), as a representation of the desire of knowledge through a number of hermetic symbols, albeit transformed in her own language and skilled image-making abilities. In conclusion, Paz makes the case that Sor Juana's works were the most important body of poetic work produced in the Americas until the arrival of 19th-century figures such as
Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massac ...
and
Walt Whitman Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incor ...
.


Tarsicio Herrera Zapién

Tarsicio Herrera Zapién, a classical scholar, has also devoted much of his career to the study of Sor Juana's works. Some of his publications (in Spanish) include ''Buena fe y humanismo en Sor Juana: diálogos y ensayos: las obras : los sorjuanistas recientes'' (1984); '' López Velarde y sor Juana, feministas opuestos: y cuatro ensayos sobre Horacio y Virgilio en México'' (1984); ''Poemas mexicanos universales: de Sor Juana a López Velarde'' (1989) and ''Tres siglos y cien vidas de Sor Juana'' (1995).


Feminist analyses and translations

Scholars such as Scout Frewer argue that because Juana's advocacy for religious and intellectual authority would now be associated with
feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
, she was a
protofeminist Protofeminism is a concept that anticipates modern feminism in eras when the feminist concept as such was still unknown. This refers particularly to times before the 20th century, although the precise usage is disputed, as 18th-century feminism ...
. In the twenty-first century,
Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...
n philosophers and scholars generally interpret Sor Juana as a feminist before the time of feminism. For instance, scholars like Rachel O’Donnell argue that Sor Juana occupied a special place in between socially acceptable and socially unacceptable roles in seventeenth century Mexico. By examining Sor Juana intersectionally, they prioritize the context of
New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...
, specifically the influence of religion, race, and social norms, in understanding Sor Juana as a female
theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...
and poet. According to O’Donnell, in colonial Mexico, education was an undertaking reserved for men, especially activities like writing and reading. Consequently, scholars like Octavio Paz argue, religion became a way for women to avoid marriage. Since Sor Juana was opposed to marriage, Paz argues, entering the convent was a socially acceptable way to be a single woman in seventeenth century Mexico. Entering the convent also meant that Sor Juana could read and write about religion despite the barriers to formal education for women. O’Donnell argues that Sor Juana was called a rare bird because although theology was only an acceptable pursuit for men in the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, she actively studied religion. Sor Juana likely perceived wisdom and religion as inseparable, so she probably also believed that to follow God was to pursue wisdom. A third perspective suggests that considering the colonial context of New Spain and Sor Juana's background as a '' criolla'', she represented colonial knowledge in a way that defied colonial religious structures. Luis Felipe Fabre criticized 'Sorjuanista' scholarship as a whole, arguing that the discourse is binary rather than complex and multilayered.


Luis Felipe Fabre

, a Mexican writer and scholar, ridicules other scholars, whom he collectively calls Sorjuanistas, who idolize Sor Juana. In his book, ''Sor Juana and Other Monsters'', Fabre argues that the appropriation and recontextualization immanent in scholars' interpretations of Sor Juana construct Sor Juana as either a heretic or a lesbian. Fabre suggests that such representations constitute Sor Juana as a monstrosity or abnormality rather than as a complex woman. He suggests that rather than locating Sor Juana in a fixed identity, scholarship on Sor Juana should be a fluctuating and multilayered conversation.


Margaret Sayers Peden

Margaret Sayers Peden's 1982 ''A Woman of Genius: The Intellectual Autobiography of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz'', was the first English translation of Sor Juana's work. As well, Peden is credited for her 1989 translation of ''Sor Juana: Or, the Traps of Faith''. Unlike other translations, Peden chose to translate the title of Sor Juana's best known work, ''First Dream'', as "First I Dream" instead. Peden's use of first person instills authority in Sor Juana as an author, as a person with knowledge, in a male-dominated society. Peden also published her English translations of Sor Juana's work in an anthology called ''Poems, Protest, and a Dream''. This work includes her response to authorities censuring her, ''La Respuesta'', and ''First Dream''.


Electa Arenal and Amanda Powell

An equally valuable feminist analysis and interpretation of Sor Juana's life and work is found in ''The Answer/La Respuesta by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz'' by Electa Arenal, a Sor Juana scholar who is recognized among
feminists Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
who changed America, and Amanda Powell, a poet and translator. The original publication, released in 1994 by The Feminist Press, was re-released in an updated second edition in 2009, also by The Feminist Press. The bilingual publication includes poems, an annotated publication of Sor Juana's response to Church officials and her impassioned plea for education of women, analysis and a bibliography. ''The Answer'' applies a valuable gender lens to Sor Juana's writings and life. In their feminist analysis, Powell and Arenal translate the viewpoint of Sor Juana's writing as gender-ambiguous. Released in an updated second edition in 2009, also by The Feminist Press, the bilingual publication includes poems, an annotated publication of Sor Juana's response to Church officials and her impassioned plea for education of women, analysis and a bibliography.


Theresa A. Yugar

Theresa A. Yugar, a feminist theologian scholar in her own right, wrote her Master's and Doctoral theses on Sor Juana. Her book, ''Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz: Feminist Reconstruction of Biography and Text,'' discusses the life of Sor Juana through a feminist lens and analysis of her texts, ''La Respuesta'' (The Answer) and ''El Primero Sueño'' (First Dream). Yugar aims to understand why individuals in Mexico in the twenty-first century have more knowledge of Frida Kahlo than Sor Juana. She celebrates poet Octavio Paz for crossing national borders with his internationally acclaimed work on ''Sor Juana: Or, The Traps of Faith''. However, while Paz establishes Sor Juana's historical relevance, Yugar expands on his work to establish Sor Juana's importance in the twenty-first century. Yugar argues that Sor Juana is the first female bibliophile in the New World. She also argues that Sor Juana's historic focus on gender and class equality in education (the
public sphere The public sphere () is an area in social relation, social life where individuals can come together to freely discuss and identify societal problems, and through that discussion, Social influence, influence political action. A "Public" is "of or c ...
) and the household (the private sphere), in addition to her advocacy for language rights, and the connection between indigenous religious traditions and ecological protection were paramount in the seventeenth century. Today's similar advocacy ignores her primal position in that work which is currently exclusively associated with
ecofeminism Ecofeminism integrates feminism and political ecology. Ecofeminist thinkers draw on the concept of gender to analyze relationships between humans and the natural world. The term was coined by the French writer Françoise d'Eaubonne in her 1974 ...
and
feminist theology Feminist theology is a movement found in several religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Sikhism, Jainism, Neopaganism, Baháʼí Faith, Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and New Thought, to reconsider the traditions, practices, scri ...
.


Historical influence


Philanthropy

The Sor Juana Inés Services for Abused Women was established in 1993 to pay Sor Juana's dedication to helping women survivors of domestic violence forward. Renamed the Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse (CORA), the organization offers community, legal, and family support services in Spanish to Latin American women and children who have faced or are facing domestic violence.


Education

The San Jerónimo Convent, where Juana lived the last 27 years of her life and where she wrote most of her work is today the University of the Cloister of Sor Juana in the historic center of Mexico City. The Mexican government founded in the university in 1979.


Political controversy

While Sor Juana was a famous and controversial figure in the seventeenth century, she is also an important figure in modern times. During renovations at the cloister in the 1970s, bones believed to be those of Sor Juana were discovered. A medallion similar to the one depicted in portraits of Juana was also found, with Margarita López Portillo, the sister of President
José López Portillo José Guillermo Abel López Portillo y Pacheco (; 16 June 1920 – 17 February 2004) was a Mexican writer, lawyer, and politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who served as the 58th president of Mexico from 1976 ...
(1976–1982), taking possession of the relic. During the tercentennial of Sor Juana's death in 1995, a member of the Mexican congress called on Margarita López Portillo to return the medallion. Portillo returned the medallion to Congress on November 14, 1995, with the event and description of the controversy reported in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' a month later. Whether or not the medallion actually belonged to Juana, the incident sparked discussions about Juana and the abuse of official power in Mexico.


Contribution to feminism


Historic feminist movements

Amanda Powell locates Sor Juana as a contributor to the Querelles des Femmes, a three-century long literary debate about women. Central to this early feminist debate were ideas about
gender Gender is the range of social, psychological, cultural, and behavioral aspects of being a man (or boy), woman (or girl), or third gender. Although gender often corresponds to sex, a transgender person may identify with a gender other tha ...
and sex, and, consequently,
misogyny Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against Woman, women or girls. It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than Man, men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been wide ...
. Powell argues that the formal and informal networks and pro-feminist ideas of the Querelles des Femmes were important influences on Sor Juana's work, ''La Respuesta''. For women, Powell argues, engaging in conversation with other women was as significant as communicating through writing. However, while
Teresa of Ávila Teresa of Ávila (born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada; 28March 15154or 15October 1582), also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Carmelite nun and prominent Spanish mystic and religious reformer. Active during the Counter-Re ...
appears in Sor Juana's ''La Respuesta'', Sor Juana makes no mention of the person who launched the debate,
Christine de Pizan Christine de Pizan or Pisan (, ; born Cristina da Pizzano; September 1364 – ), was an Italian-born French court writer for King Charles VI of France and several French royal dukes, in both prose and poetry. Christine de Pizan served as a cour ...
. Rather than focusing on Sor Juana's engagement with other literary works, Powell prioritizes Sor Juana's position of authority in her own literary discourse. This authoritative stance not only demonstrates a direct counter to misogyny, but was also typically reserved for men. As well, Sor Juana's argument that ideas about women in religious hierarchies are culturally constructed, not divine, echoes ideas about the construction of gender and sex.


Modern feminist movements

Yugar connects Sor Juana to feminist advocacy movements in the twenty-first century, such as religious feminism,
ecofeminism Ecofeminism integrates feminism and political ecology. Ecofeminist thinkers draw on the concept of gender to analyze relationships between humans and the natural world. The term was coined by the French writer Françoise d'Eaubonne in her 1974 ...
, and the
feminist movement The feminist movement, also known as the women's movement, refers to a series of social movements and political campaigns for Radical politics, radical and Liberalism, liberal reforms on women's issues created by inequality between men and wom ...
in general. Although the current religious feminist movement grew out of the Liberation Theology movement of the 1970s, Yugar uses Sor Juana's criticism of religious law that permits only men to occupy leadership positions within the Church as early evidence of her religious feminism. Based on Sor Juana's critique of the oppressive and
patriarchal Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of authority are primarily held by men. The term ''patriarchy'' is used both in anthropology to describe a family or clan controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males, and in fem ...
structures of the Church of her day, Yugar argues that Sor Juana predated current movements, like Latina Feminist Theology, that privilege Latina women's views on religion. She also cites modern movements such as the Roman Catholic Women Priest Movement, the Women's Ordination Conference, and the Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual, all of which also speak out against the
patriarchal Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of authority are primarily held by men. The term ''patriarchy'' is used both in anthropology to describe a family or clan controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males, and in fem ...
limitations on women in religious institutions. Yugar emphasizes that Sor Juana interpreted the Bible as expressing concern with people of all backgrounds as well as with the earth. Most significantly, Yugar argues, Sor Juana expressed concern about the consequences of capitalistic Spanish domination over the earth. These ideas, Yugar points out, are commonly associated with modern
feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
movements concerned with
decolonization Decolonization is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby Imperialism, imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas. The meanings and applications of the term are disputed. Some scholar ...
and the protection of the planet.


A symbol


Colonial and indigenous identities

As a woman in religion, Sor Juana has become associated with the
Virgin of Guadalupe Our Lady of Guadalupe (), also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe (), is a Catholic Church, Catholic Titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with four Marian apparitions to Juan Diego and one to his uncle, J ...
, a religious symbol of Mexican identity, but was also connected to Aztec goddesses. For example, parts of Sor Juana's ''Villancico 224'' are written in Nahuatl, while others are written in Spanish. The Virgin of Guadalupe is the subject of the ''Villancico'', but depending on the language, the poem refers to both the Virgin of Guadalupe and Cihuacoatl, an indigenous goddess. It is ambiguous whether Sor Juana prioritizes the Mexican or indigenous religious figure, or whether her focus is on harmonizing the two. Sor Juana's connection to indigenous religious figures is also prominent in her '' Loa to Divine Narcissus'', (Spanish "''El Divino Narciso''") (see Jauregu
20032009
. The play centers on the interaction between two Indigenous people, named Occident and America, and two Spanish people, named Religion and Zeal. The characters exchange their religious perspectives, and conclude that there are more similarities between their religious traditions than there are differences. The loa references Aztec rituals and gods, including Huitzilopochtli, who symbolized the land of Mexico. Scholars like Nicole Gomez argue that Sor Juana's fusion of Spanish and Aztec religious traditions in her ''Loa'' ''to Divine Narcissus'' aims to raise the status of indigenous religious traditions to that of Catholicism in New Spain. Gomez argues that Sor Juana also emphasizes the violence with which Spanish religious traditions dominated indigenous ones. Ultimately, Gomez argues that Sor Juana's use of both colonial and indigenous languages, symbols, and religious traditions not only gives voice to indigenous peoples, who were marginalized, but also affirms her own indigenous identity. Through their scholarly interpretations of Sor Juana's work, Octavio Paz and Alicia Gaspar de Alba have also incorporated Sor Juana into discourses about Mexican identity. Paz's accredited scholarship on Sor Juana elevated her to a national symbol as a Mexican woman, writer, and religious authority. On the contrary, Gaspar de Alba emphasized Sor Juana's indigenous identity by inserting her into Chicana discourses.


Connection to Frida Kahlo

Paul Allatson emphasizes that women like Sor Juana and Frida Kahlo masculinized their appearances to symbolically complicate the space marked for women in society. Sor Juana's decision to cut her hair as punishment for mistakes she made during learning signified her own autonomy, but was also a way to engage in the masculinity expected of male-dominated spaces, like universities. According to Paul Allatson, nuns were also required to cut their hair after entering the convent. These ideas, Allatson suggests, are echoed in
Frida Kahlo Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by Culture of Mexico, the country' ...
's 1940 self-portrait titled ''Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair'', or ''Autorretrato con cabellos corto''. As well, the University of the Cloister of Sor Juana honored both Frida Kahlo and Sor Juana on October 31, 2018, with a symbolic altar. The altar, called ''Las Dos Juanas'', was specially made for the
Day of the Dead The Day of the Dead () is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pa ...
.


Official recognition by the Mexican government

In present times, Sor Juana is still an important figure in Mexico. In 1995, Sor Juana's name was inscribed in gold on the wall of honor in the Mexican Congress in April 1995. Sor Juana also appears on the Mexican currency
obverse The obverse and reverse are the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ''obverse'' ...
. She was first included on the 1000 pesos AA family bill in 1978, which was in circulation until 1992. Between 1994 and 2020, she appeared on the 200 pesos C, D, D1, and F family bills. She currently appears on the 100 pesos G bill, which has been in circulation since 2020. The town where Sor Juana grew up, San Miguel Nepantla in the municipality of Tepetlixpa,
State of Mexico The State of Mexico, officially just Mexico, is one of the 32 federal entities of the United Mexican States. Colloquially known as Edomex (from , the abbreviation of , and ), to distinguish it from the name of the whole country, it is the mo ...
, was renamed in her honor as Nepantla de Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz.


Veneration

In 2022, the Episcopal Church of the United States gave final approval and added her feast to the
liturgical calendar The liturgical year, also called the church year, Christian year, ecclesiastical calendar, or kalendar, consists of the cycle of liturgical days and seasons that determines when feast days, including celebrations of saints, are to be obs ...
. Her feast day is April 18.


Bibliography

* 1676 - ''Villancicos, que se cantaron en la Santa Iglesia Metropolitana de Mexico. En los maitines de la Purissima Concepción de Nuestra Señora'' * 1689 - ''Inundación castalida''. Madrid: Juan Garcia Infanson * 1693 - ''Segundo tomo de las obras de sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, monja professa en el monasterio del Señor San Geronimo de la ciudad de Mexico''. Barcelona: Joseph Llopis * 1701 - ''Fama, y obras posthumas, tomo tercero, del fenix de México, y dezima musa, poetisa de la America, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, religiosa professa en el Convento de San Geronimo, de la imperial ciudad de Mexico''. Barcelona: Rafael Figuerò * 1709 - ''Poemas de la unica poetisa americana, musa dezima, soror Juana Inés de la Cruz, religiosa professa en el monasterio de San Germonimo de la imperial ciudad de Mexico''. Valencia: Antonio Bordazar


Popular culture


Literature

*
American poet The poets listed below were either born in the United States or else published much of their poetry while living in that country. A B C D E F G H I–J K L M N O P Q *George Quasha (born 1942 in poetry, 1942) R ...
Diane Ackerman wrote a verse drama, ''Reverse Thunder'', about Sor Juana (1992). * Canadian poet and novelist
Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian novelist, poet, literary critic, and an inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of nonfiction, nine collections of short fiction, eight chi ...
's 2007 book of poems ''The Door'' includes a poem entitled "Sor Juana Works in the Garden". * Puerto Rican poet
Giannina Braschi Giannina Braschi (born February 5, 1953) is a Puerto Rican poet, novelist, dramatist, and scholar. Her notable works include '' Empire of Dreams'' (1988), '' Yo-Yo Boing!'' (1998), '' United States of Banana'' (2011), and '' Putinoika'' (2024). ...
wrote the
postmodern Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism. They have in common the conviction that it is no longer possible to rely upon previous ways of depicting the wo ...
Spanglish Spanglish (a blend of the words "Spanish" and "English") is any language variety (such as a contact dialect, hybrid language, pidgin, or creole language) that results from conversationally combining Spanish and English. The term is mostly u ...
novel Yo-Yo Boing! in which characters debate the greatest women poets, acknowledging both Sor Juana and
Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massac ...
. * Canadian novelist Paul Anderson devoted 12 years writing a 1300-page novel entitled '' Hunger's Brides'' (pub. 2004) on Sor Juana. His novel won the 2005 Alberta Book Award. * Sor Juana was the subject of a 2007 fictionalized novel entitled ''Sor Juana’s Second Dream: A Novel'' by
Alicia Gaspar de Alba Alicia Gaspar de Alba is an American scholar, cultural critic, novelist, and poet whose works include historical novels and scholarly studies on Chicana/o art, culture and sexuality. Biography Gaspar de Alba was born on July 29, 1958, in El P ...
.


Music

* American composer
John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...
and director Peter Sellars used two of Sor Juana's poems, ''Pues mi Dios ha nacido a penar'' and ''Pues está tiritando'' in their libretto for the Nativity oratorio-opera
El Niño EL, El or el may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * El, a character from the manga series ''Shugo Chara!'' by Peach-Pit * Eleven (''Stranger Things'') (El), a fictional character in the TV series ''Stranger Things'' * El, fami ...
(2000). *Composer Allison Sniffin's original composition, Óyeme con los ojos – (Hear Me with Your Eyes: Sor Juana on the Nature of Love), based on text and poetry by Sor Juana, was commissioned by Melodia Women's Choir, which premiered the work at the Kaufman Center in New York City. *Composer Daniel Crozier and librettist Peter M. Krask wrote ''With Blood, With Ink'', an opera based around her life, while both were students at
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
's
Peabody Institute The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University is a Private university, private music and dance music school, conservatory and College-preparatory school, preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1857, it became affiliat ...
in 1993. The work won first prize in the National Operatic and Dramatic Association's Chamber Opera Competition. In 2000, excerpts were included in the
New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through its 2013 bankruptcy, and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, dubbed "the peopl ...
's Showcasing American Composers Series. The work in its entirety was premiered by the Fort Worth Opera on April 20, 2014, and recorded by Albany Records. * Puerto Rican singer iLe recites part of one of Sor Juana'
sonnets
in her song
Rescatarme
. * In 2013, the Brazilian composer Jorge Antunes composed an electroacoustic musical work entitled ''CARTA ATHENAGÓRICA'', in the studio of CMMAS (Mexican Center for Music and Sound Arts) in the city of Morelia, with the support of Ibermúsicas. The composition, which honors Sor Juana is called "Figurative Music", in which the musical structure and musical objects are based on rhetoric with figures of speech. In the work Antunes uses the chiasmus, also called retruécano, from poems of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz.


Film, television and video

* Mexican actress Andrea Palma played her in the 1935 biopic " Sor Juana Inės de la Cruz" * A
telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar Drama (film and television), drama genres around the w ...
about her life, '' Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz'', was created in 1962. *
María Luisa Bemberg María Luisa Bemberg (April 14, 1922 – May 7, 1995) was an Argentine screenwriter, film director and actress. She was one of the first Argentine female directors with a powerful presence both in the filmmaking and the intellectual world of Latin ...
wrote and directed the 1990 film ''Yo, la peor de todas'' ('' I, the Worst of All''), based on Octavio Paz's ''Sor Juana: Or, the Traps of Faith'' based on Sor Juana's life. * The Spanish-language miniseries '' Juana Inés'' (2016) by Canal Once TV, starring Arantza Ruiz and
Arcelia Ramírez Arcelia Ramírez (born 7 December 1967) is a Mexican actress. She has appeared in more than 50 films and television shows since 1985. She starred in the film '' Such Is Life'', which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2000 Can ...
as Sor Juana, dramatizes her life.


Theater

* Helen Edmundson's play '' The Heresy of Love'', based on the life of Sor Juana, was premiered by the
Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...
in early 2012 and revived by Shakespeare's Globe in 2015. * Jesusa Rodríguez has produced a number of works concerning Sor Juana, including ''Sor Juana en Almoloya'' and ''Striptease de Sor Juana'', based on Juana's poem "Primero Sueño". * Playwright, director, and producer Kenneth Prestininzi wrote ''Impure Thoughts (Without Apology''), which follows Sor Juana's experience with Bishop Francisco Aguilar y Seijas.

". * Tanya Saracho's play ''The Tenth Muse'', a fictionalized 18th-century drama about women in a convent in Colonial Mexico included seven female characters and their discovery of and relationship to Sor Juana's writings, debuted at the
Oregon Shakespeare Festival The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) is a regional Repertory, repertory theatre in Ashland, Oregon, United States, founded in 1935 by Angus L. Bowmer. The Festival now offers matinee and evening performances of a wide range of classic and conte ...
.


Notes


References


Sources


''The Juana Inés de la Cruz Project''
Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...
. Retrieved: 2010-05-09.
''Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz (1648–1695)''
Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...
. Retrieved: 2010-05-09.
Universidad del Claustro de Sor Juana
Retrieved: 2010-08-03.


Further reading

* ALATORRE, Antonio, ''Sor Juana a través de los siglos''. México: El Colegio de México, 2007. * BENASSY-BERLING, Marié-Cécile, ''Humanisme et Religion chez Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz: la femme et la cultura au 17e siècle''. Paris: Editions Hispaniques, 1982. * BEAUCHOT, Mauricio, ''Sor Juana, una filosofía barroca'', Toluca: UAM, 2001. * BUXÓ, José Pascual, ''Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz: Lectura barroca de la poesía'', México, Renacimiento, 2006. * CORTES, Adriana, ''Cósmica y cosmética, pliegues de la alegoría en sor Juana Inés de la Cruz y Pedro Calderón de la Barca''. Madrid: Vervuert, 2013. * GAOS, José. "El sueño de un sueño". ''Historia Mexicana'', 10, 1960. * HAHN, Miriam, "As If There Were No Damages: Representing Native American Spirituality in the Dramas of Lope de Vega and Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz." Ecumenia. April 2015, vol. 8, no. 1, Pennsylvania State University Press, pp. 7–20, 87 * JAUREGUI, Carlos A
"Cannibalism, the Eucharist, and Criollo Subjects."
In ''Creole Subjects in the Colonial Americas: Empires, Texts, Identities''. Ralph Bauer & Jose A. Mazzotti (eds.). Chapel Hill: Omohundro Institute of Early American History & Culture, Williamsburg, VA, U. of North Carolina Press, 2009. 61–100. * JAUREGUI, Carlos A
"El plato más sabroso’: eucaristía, plagio diabólico, y la traducción criolla del caníbal."
''Colonial Latin American Review'' 12:2 (2003): 199–231. *Kretsch, Donna Raske. “Sisters Across the Atlantic: Aphra Behn and Sor Juana Inez de La Cruz.” Women's Studies, vol. 21, no. 3, Taylor & Francis Group, 1992, pp. 361–379, *MERKL, Heinrich, ''Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Ein Bericht zur Forschung 1951–1981.'' Heidelberg: Winter, 1986. * MURATTA BUNSEN, Eduardo, "La estancia escéptica de Sor Juana". ''Sor Juana Polímata''. Ed. Pamela H. Long. México: Destiempos, 2013. * NEUMEISTER, Sebastian, "Disimulación y rebelión: El Político silencio de Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz". ''La cultura del barroco español e iberoamericano y su contexto europeo''. Ed. Kazimierz Sabik and Karolina Kumor, Varsovia: Insituto de Estudios Ibéricos e Iberoamericanos de la Universidad de Varsovia, 2010. *OLIVARES ZORRILLA, Rocío,
The Eye of Imagination: Emblems in the Baroque Poem 'The Dream,' by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
", in ''Emblematica. An Interdisciplinary Journal for Emblem Studies,'' AMC Press, Inc., New York, vol. 18, 2010: 111–161. *----, ''La figura del mundo en "El sueño", de Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Ojo y "spiritus phantasticus" en un sueño barroco,'' Madrid, Editorial Académica Española, 2012. * PERELMUTER, Rosa, ''Los límites de la femineidad en sor Juana Inés de la Cruz'', Madrid, Iberoamericana, 2004. * PAZ, Octavio. ''Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz o las trampas de la fe''. México: Fondo de Cultura Económica, 1982. * PFLAND, Ludwig, ''Die zehnte Muse von Mexiko Juana Inés de la Cruz. Ihr Leben, ihre Dichtung, ihre Psyche''. München: Rinn, 1946. * RODRÍGUEZ GARRIDO, José Antonio, ''La Carta Atenagórica de Sor Juana: Textos inéditos de una polémica'', México: UNAM, 2004. * ROSAS LOPATEGUI, Patricia, ''Oyeme con los ojos : de Sor Juana al siglo XXI; 21 escritoras mexicanas revolucionarias''. México: Universidad Autónoma Nuevo León, 2010. * SABAT DE RIVERS, Georgina, ''El «Sueño» de Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz: tradiciones literarias y originalidad'', Londres: Támesis, 1977. * SORIANO, Alejandro, ''La hora más bella de Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz'', México, CONACULTA, Instituto Queretano de la Cultura y las Artes, 2010. * WEBER, Hermann, ''Yo, la peor de todas – Ich, die Schlechteste von allen.'' Karlsruhe: Info Verlag, 2009. * Juana Inés de la Cruz, and Carl W Cobb. ''The Sonnets of Sor Juana Ines De La Cruz in English Verse''. E. Mellen Press, 2001. * Juana Inés de la Cruz, and Alberto G Salceda. ''Obras Completas De Sor Juana Ines De La Cruz''. 1st edn, Fondo De Cultura Economica, 1957. * Juana Inés de la Cruz, and Margaret Sayers Peden. ''A Woman of Genius : The Intellectual Autobiography of Sor Juana Inés De La Cruz''. 2nd edn, Lime Rock Press, 1987. * Schmidhuber de la Mora, Guillermo, et al. ''The Three Secular Plays of Sor Juana Inés De La Cruz : A Critical Study''. University Press of Kentucky, 2000. INSERT-MISSING-DATABASE-NAME, INSERT-MISSING-URL. Accessed 14 May 2020. * Thurman, Judith, et al. ''I Became Alone : Five Women Poets, Sappho, Louise Labé, Ann Bradstreet, Juana Ines De La Cruz, Emily Dickinson''. 1st edn, Atheneum, 1975. * 2.14.6
Notes on Two Spanish American Poets: Gabriela Mistral and Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz
1947 and undated, Box: 14, Folder: 6.0; Reel: 81, Frame: 148. Katherine Anne Porter papers, 0041-LIT. Special Collections and University Archives. Accessed May 14, 2020. * Juana de la Cruz. Mother Juana De La Cruz, 1481–1534 : Visionary Sermons. Edited by Jessica A Boon, Iter Academic Press, 2016. * Juana Inés de la Cruz . A Sor Juana Anthology. Translated by Alan S Trueblood, Harvard University Press, 1988. * ''The Politics and Poetics of Sor Juana Inés De La Cruz''. Ashgate, 2012. INSERT-MISSING-DATABASE-NAME, INSERT-MISSING-URL. Accessed 14 May 2020. * Kirk Rappaport, Pamela. ''Sor Juana Inés De La Cruz: Religion, Art, and Feminism''. Continuum, 1998. * Merrim, Stephanie. ''Early Modern Women's Writing and Sor Juana Inés De La Cruz''. 1st edn, Vanderbilt University Press, 1999. * Juana Inés de la Cruz, Joan Larkin, Jaime Manrique
''Sor Juana's Love Poems''
University of Wisconsin Press, 2003. Project Muse. Accessed 14 May 2020. * Allen, Heather
"New Research on Sor Juana Ines De La Cruz"
''Letras Femininas'' (Vol. 42, Issue 2), Association of Hispanic Feminine Literature, 2016.


External links

* *
Sor Juana festival. National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago

Sor Juana Ines the Tenth Muse
from Inside Mexico
Sor Juana, the Poet: The Sonnets
from National Endowment for the Humanities
Sor Juana, la poetisa: Los sonetos
from National Endowment for the Humanities

by Jorge Majfud
The Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Project

Academic resource on the poetry of Sor Juana Inés de la CruzOn-line facsimile edition of Sor Juana's ''Fama y obras posthumas''
* * Free scores by Juana Inés de la Cruz in the
International Music Score Library Project The International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP), also known as the Petrucci Music Library after publisher Ottaviano Petrucci, is a subscription-based digital library of public-domain music scores. The project uses MediaWiki software, and ...
*'' Libro de professiones y elecciones de prioras y vicarias del Convento de San Gerónimo'' ( University of Texas Libraries). Includes the handwritten professions of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
Juana Inés de la Cruz profile and works on LibraryThingCrashCourse and PBS Digital Studios: Pre-Colombian Theatre, Sor Juana, etc
{{DEFAULTSORT:Juana Ines de la Cruz 1648 births 1695 deaths 17th-century deaths from plague (disease) 17th-century Mexican poets 17th-century Mexican women writers 17th-century Mexican writers Anglican saints Baroque writers Ecofeminists Hieronymite nuns Infectious disease deaths in Mexico Mexican Baroque Mexican environmentalists Mexican feminist writers Mexican nobility Mexican people of Basque descent Mexican people of Spanish descent Mexican philosophers Mexican Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns Mexican women dramatists and playwrights Mexican women philosophers Mexican women poets People from Tepetlixpa People from Amecameca Rhetoricians Roman Catholic writers Salon-holders Sonneteers Spanish Baroque people Spanish Catholic poets Women encyclopedists Writers from the State of Mexico Nahuatl schcolars 17th-century philosophers