Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
By Bohemian Babushka
HolaHolaHola Beautifuls! March in the US is the month officially designated to recognize women who have done extraordinary achievements- more so than the “average” mujer who we know does much more than they are appreciated for. Si. Continuing.
The woman Babushka plans to highlight is not from the US, but her writings and views helped start a worldwide ripple of feminist thought. Living in the 1600’s she was true to herself and her believes and did not temper her tongue. Gracias to Theater With A Mission, (an acting troupe dedicated to sharing the richness and beauty of the Spanish Golden Age) BB learned about the life and works of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz.
Born in Mexico in 1648, Sor Juana was a child prodigy and began a life of self-study. Being female, she was never allowed to be formally taught, so she would hide in her abuelo’s study and spend hours there by herself. She could read and write Latin by the age of three. Her thirst for knowledge was well known and ultimately sponsored by the colonial viceroy’s court. Here began her notoriety, when at 17 she was tested by a panel of scholars on various subjects and answered correctly and eloquently, her intelligence could not be denied. Sor Juana entered the Convent of Santa Paula of the Hieronymite order in Mexico City in 1966. Her “total disinclination to marriage” and her wish “to have no fixed occupation which might curtail my freedom to study,” gives a glimpse of her intelligence and resolve. Sor Juana remained cloistered in the Convent of Santa Paula for the rest of her life, pero did that mean she had a quiet vida? JU SO FONII!!!
The Encyclopedia Britannica states: “Convent life afforded Sor Juana her own apartment, time to study and write, and the opportunity to teach music and drama to the girls in Santa Paula’s school. She also functioned as the convent’s archivist and accountant. In her convent cell, Sor Juana amassed one of the largest private libraries in the New World, together with a collection of musical and scientific instruments. She was able to continue her contact with other scholars and powerful members of the court. The patronage of the viceroy and vicereine of New Spain, notably that of the marquis and marquise de la Laguna from 1680 to 1688, helped her maintain her exceptional freedom. They visited her, favored her, and had her works published in Spain. For her part, Sor Juana, though cloistered, became the unofficial court poet in the 1680s. Her plays in verse, occasional poetry, commissioned religious services, and writings for state festivals all contributed magnificently to the world outside the convent.”
Unfortunately, she found opposition to those who didn’t appreciate her views- especially on the role and intelligence of women. Her plays, poetry and villancicos ran the gamut of silliness to not too sublime sisterhood, and she overstepped the bounds on the accepted feminine voice. A recent play, “Heresy of Love” by British playwright Helen Edmundson depicts the power play and admiration within the church on the subject of Sor Juana.
Wow and Woah. Sor Juana de Ines de la Cruz, woman of courage and conviction whose voice is still being heard today. Una hispana de potencia is in all of our histories. Go read and be amazed, go read and be proud.
Babushka Besos a todos. Cuídense.
