![]() There, she amassed a library of over 4,000 volumes, wrote poetry, carols and plays that were published and widely read, corresponded with nobles, held intellectual court and taught music and drama. Jerome, which was then the only avenue through which she could continue her education (she even turned down several marriage proposals in order to continue focusing on her learning). During her time in court, Juana was a bit of an intellectual celebrity and began to write poetry, often for celebratory occasions.Īt 20, Juana entered the Convent of the Order of St. ![]() Juana surprised everyone with her impressive performance against the scholars and Leonor accepted Juana as a maid-in-waiting in her court. They were so impressed with Juana that they invited theologians, jurists, philosophers and scholars to meet with her and conduct a question-and-answer test of her intellect. In her mid-teens, Juana was sent to live with her aunt in Mexico City by then, rumors of her prodigious intellect had spread to the capital and she was presented at the court of a new viceregal couple, Antonio Sebastian de Toledo (the Marquis de Mancera) and Leonor Carreto. In a somewhat dramatic teenage display of commitment to her education, Juana cut off her hair every time she made a mistake in Latin. She asked to be allowed to disguise herself as a man so that she could go to university, but was not given permission and had to continue to tutor herself. Juana taught herself all she could by reading her grandfather’s library and soon mastered logic, Latin and the Aztec language Nahuatl. At the age of three, she followed an older sister to school and convinced a teacher to show her how to read. She was officially registered as “a daughter of the Church” because her parents were unmarried. ![]() ![]() Juana was born in 1648 in San Miguel Nepantla, Mexico, near Mexico City. In honor of Women’s History Month, I want to honor my favorite (and too-little-known) feminist, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, a 17th century nun, poet and scholar. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |