Scholar Poet Advocate Martyr

 Born Juana Inés de la Cruz de Asbaje in San Miguel Nepantla, Mexico  Nov. 12, 1648-April 17, 1695  Illigetimate daughter of Spanish nobleman  Gifted child, hid in Grandfather’s house to read and study books.  Learned to read age 3, age 5 doing simple math, age 8 composed first poem, age 13 learned Greek and taught Latin to children.  Learned the native language of her area, nahuatl.

In her time, women were not allowed to become educated. Women learned how to dance, embroider, and perhaps some language. Juana was allowed to take on various tutors and became self- educated since she was not allowed to attend a university. She refused several proposals of marriage and entered a convent instead in 1667.

Her poem Redondillas, defends the right of women to be respected and in Respuesta a Sor Filotea their right to be educated. Her work Hombres Necios pokes fun at the men of her time who claim they were more holy than women while being involved with all kinds of sin. During this time, a movement called the Counter- reformation was taking place where people were tortured or killed for any ideas that came against what the church was teaching. Part of what they taught was that women were somehow inferior and more sinful than men. The leaders of the church sent Juana a letter rebuking her for her writings and subtly threatening her if she did not stop. In 1693, Juan stopped her writings, sold all of her 4000 books as well as her musical and scientific instruments.

Sor Juana died after caring for her sisters during a plague on April 17, 1695 She is considered today one of the first advocates for women’s education. She is also considered one of the first great Mexican writers.