La Colonia started when the Aztec Empire was defeated by the Spanish Conquistadores led by Hernán Cortés on August 13, 1521, ending when Mexico obtained its Independence in 1821. This time period is called the La Colonia, or the Colony. During Sor Juana’s time, Mexico City had a population of roughly 100,000 people, out of which only 20,000 were castizos or criollos, or Spanish-blooded, and 80,000 were of other ethnicities, including mulattoes, indigenous, or mestizos, thus creating a caste system in New Spain. Mexico City was established where the capital of the Aztec Empire had been built, atop of the great Aztec city of Tenochtitlán, and it was the seat of a Virrey (Viceroy), who represented the King of Spain. This document is commonly recognized as the “first feminist” writing of the American hemisphere which challenged the patriarchal and Christian establishments of her time.ĭuring the time when Sor Juana was alive, 17th-century Mexico was a colony of Spain called La Nueva España (New Spain) and it was a part of the Nuevo Mundo (New World). As a response, she wrote a key document in defense of a woman’s right to have intellectual freedom and an education, this is called La Respuesta a la muy ilustre Sor Filotea de la Cruz ( La Respuesta or The Reply is available through the Proyecto Ensayo Hispánico website). As a 17th- century Mexican nun, Sor Juana dared to criticize a prominent theologian, for which she was persecuted. Students and scholars alike continue to be amazed by the works of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, who was the first great poet of Latin America.
As a writer, she continues to inspire artists and to be present in Mexico as an important cultural and literary icon. Sor Juana is also known as “El Fénix de América” (the Phoenix of the Americas) or “La Décima Musa” (the Tenth Muse). (Click here for the Spanish version of this curriculum unit) Guiding Questions This curriculum is intended for students with advanced Spanish proficiency. Students will gain an understanding of why Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz is considered one of the most important poets of Latin America, and why she is also considered a pioneering feminist writer and poet. The two lesson plans in this academic unit will introduce students to the life of Sor Juana and to some of her work. Sor Juana was persecuted for being an intellectual and a woman, a nun, and a writer who wrote quite provocatively in the very Christian New Spain of the 1600s. Sor Juana was published in different parts of the Hispanic world during her lifetime and she enjoyed the reputation of being the premiere Baroque poet in New Spain (Mexico), which earned her both praise and vicious misogynistic attacks. To learn more about Sor Juana, students and teachers can consult the EDSITEment-created timeline of her life. She wrote following the complex style of the Spanish Golden Age masters, particularly Luis de Góngora y Argote, and produced some of the most beautiful sonnets in the Spanish language, while excelling also as a dramatist. Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz is considered the first great Latin American poet and one of the most important Hispanic literary figures. from The Reply to the Very Illustrious Sor Philotea de la Cruz, written in 1691 As a result, I cut off the hair in punishment for my head’s ignorance, for it didn’t seem right to me that a head so naked of knowledge should be dressed up with hair, for knowledge is a more desirable adornment.”
“It turned out that the hair grew quickly and I learned slowly.
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