author
Sister Juana Inés de la Cruz
1651–1695
A brilliant nun, poet, and scholar from colonial Mexico, she turned convent life into a space for fierce learning and unforgettable writing. Her poems, plays, and defenses of women's intellect still feel bold centuries later.
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About the author
Born in New Spain and known in religion as Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, she became famous for her extraordinary intellect at a young age. Sources agree that she was a poet, dramatist, scholar, and nun, and that she is now regarded as one of the most important writers of the Latin American colonial period and the Hispanic Baroque.
She entered the convent in part because it gave her the best chance to study, read, and write seriously. From there she produced poetry, plays, and prose on subjects ranging from love and faith to learning and philosophy, earning lasting nicknames such as "the Tenth Muse."
She is also remembered for the courage of her ideas. Her writing defended women's right to education and intellectual life, which is one reason she is often seen today as an early feminist voice in the Americas.