Lisa Sachs from Recipes For a Better World has an interesting post this week about Sor. Juana Ines de la Cruz (1651 – 1695) from Mexico who is often considered the first feminist of the Americas. Choosing not to live under the restrictions of marriage, she became a writer, scholar, and advocate for women’s education.
In a quick search for information about Sor. Juana, I learned that she was largely self-taught. At an early age, she could read, write, and do figures. She mastered Latin and the Aztec language and composed poetry. After entering the convent, she continued her study, but when she wrote a letter supporting a woman’s right to education, she was denounced as “wayward” by the church officials and had to undergo penance. She is definitely a woman that I want to do more research about. In the meantime, check out Lisa’s original post.
On a side note – I’m very excited that a friend of mine wants to write for this blog as well. I’ll let her introduce herself to you when she is ready to post, but I will tell you that her name is Susan as well! So I’ll begin to sign my posts with my full name so that there is no confusion. Thanks for reading and don’t forget to check out Lisa’s post.
~ Susan Ozmore