“I don't study to know more, but to ignore less.” -Juana Inés de la Cruz
This timeline was written as if Sor Juana herself was composing the sequence of her life`s occurences in a very descriptive manner since it was made with the purpose of being an introductory genre in order to inform and apprise all of you readers with a little more knowledge regarding Sor Juana`s life in a chronological coordinated way, before actually reading more distincitve information about her.
Timeline
1651- I was born on November 12th,1651 to a generous family in a lovely little village south from the great Mexico City, called San Miguel de Neplanta. My parents, Isabel Ramirez and Manuel de Asbaje were not married, therefore my dad was very absent in my life so I, Isabel Ramirez and Manuel de Asbaje , was registered on the church rolls as “a daugher of the church”.
1654- When I was three I went with my older sister to a school for girls named “Amigas” where I began to learn how to read and write with one of the teachers who at first, didn't think I was old enough to learn but changed her mind after I demonstrated that at such a young age I was already capable of learning!
1659- After I had already read all of the books from my grandfather`s personal library, I was able to convince my mom into realizing I deserved to live in Mexico city where as a prodigious child, I would be able to grow in an environment which would allow me greater life opportunities than in the village, so I went to live with my aunt`s family in Mexico city. When I arrived, my desire for knowledge endured and I began to learn Latin.
1664- Surprisingly, my existence in Mexico city spread very quickly and the viceroy Antonio Sebastian de Toledo Marquis de Mancera, together with his wife Leonor Carreto invited me to their court in order for me to present myself. They were so impressed by my intellectual brilliance that the vicereine made me the lady-in-waiting of the Viceregal court.
1667- Even though I really enjoyed the court where I had a lot of time and inspiration to write, I decided that as a religious and clerical woman, it was time for me to assume my duties as a nun once for all and so I entered the Convent of the Discalced Camerlities of St. Joseph. After after three months there, I felt that it wasn't the correct convent for me since I didn't agree with many of its rules, so I left it.
1669- After several years dedicated into finding the correct convent for me, I found the Convent of Santa Paula of the Hieronymite Order, also located in Mexico City and knew that it would be where I wanted to spend the rest of my life since not only did it have it a collection of scientific musical instruments and intellectual gatherings, but there I found the religious support I needed to serve as a nun. There I had my own private apartment, which was very comfortable since I had my own kitchen, bathroom and living room. I had many duties in the convent, but my main ones were teaching music and drama to the girls in St. Paula`s school and as the accountant and archivist of the convent. There I was also able to maintain contact with the viceroy who advised me into ignoring derogatory.
1773- As any accordance, the viceregal term made by the viceroy Marquis Antonio Sebastian de Toledo Marquis de Mancera, ended since it became harder for the viceroy to interfere in my religious routine so even though I still admired the viceregal court and their contributions to my life, I decided to ask for the Archbishop Friar Payo Enriques de Ribera for advice and guidance since he would have a greater access and understanding of my daily life due to our religious similarities.
1680- A new viceregal couple became in charge of the viceregal court and Marquis de la Laguna and the Condesa de Paredes, Maria Luisa, also wanted to meet me. After our first encounter, they were also very admired by my religious and intellectual passion and I became their acquaintance, specially with Maria who always supported and revered my writting. In this same year I also wrote the "Neptuno Alegòrico", which was a significant text with the purpose to commend the viceroy Tomas de la Cerda and the Marquise de la Laguna for all of their support.
1681- This year was very focused to my religious duties so only two of my writings became very famous at the time, which were the "Carta de Monterrey" in which I wrote about espiritual defense and strength and the poem " You Foolish Men" in which I wrote with the purpose to make society aware of the arbitrary immoral inequalities surrounding all of us women.
1683- Due to my role as a drama teacher to the incredible girls in St. Paula`s school, I decided that in order to display a perfect exemplification of what drama is, I needed to write a play myself. So I wrote the secular play, The Trials of a Noble House which is a smart comedy "comedia del enredo", I made with the purpose to make the public observe entanglements of life in a enjoyable and pleasant way.
1688- Even though my faith made me vigorous and hopeful, this year was full of disappointments since not only the Marquis and Marquise of la Laguna moved to Spain and left me with no noble protection, but my mother, Isabel Ramìres died leaving me full of sorrow. In this same year my leader, the Archbishop declared himself as being against secular studies and drama, meaning I no longer had his support.
1689- This year, a greater quantity of my work was published, including the play Amor es màs Laberinto (Love the Greater Labyrinth) which was published in Madrid, the first edition of "Inundación Castálida" (Castalian Flood) and the celestial play "The Divine Narcissus" .
1690- This was also another impacting year in my journey since my trusted friend, The Bishop of Puebla, Manuel Fernàndez de Santa Cruz, published without my consent the critique I made about a 1650 sermon written by an eminent Portuguese Jesuit Antonio Vieira. Along with The Athenagoric Letter in which I commented about the sermon, he also published a letter he wrote supposedly directed to "Sor Philothea de la Cruz" however it was an indiscreet pseudonym to my name, and it had the purpose to admonish me into concentrating on religious rather than secular inquiries.
1691- In march 1st 1961, I published my response to the Bishop of Puebla titled "Reply to Sor Philothea" in which I expressed my point of view in a defensive manner in order to justify my studies in science and in human arts to understand sacred theology and also to defend women's rights in education and in the society.
1694- This year was a time of great changes and specially a change in my own perspective. On March 5th 1694, I wrote with my own blood, my contrition on the Book of Vows in which I decided to apologize for having left my religion as a second priority even though I remained in the convent and I let all of musical, mathematical and books be taken away from me. I decided to make my pen silent.
1965- Sadly, I died of the plague on April 17th, 1965 after taking care of my sick sisters who were also suffering with the epidemic which took me away.
By Maria Luiza Costa
This timeline was written as if Sor Juana herself was composing the sequence of her life`s occurences in a very descriptive manner since it was made with the purpose of being an introductory genre in order to inform and apprise all of you readers with a little more knowledge regarding Sor Juana`s life in a chronological coordinated way, before actually reading more distincitve information about her.
Timeline
1651- I was born on November 12th,1651 to a generous family in a lovely little village south from the great Mexico City, called San Miguel de Neplanta. My parents, Isabel Ramirez and Manuel de Asbaje were not married, therefore my dad was very absent in my life so I, Isabel Ramirez and Manuel de Asbaje , was registered on the church rolls as “a daugher of the church”.
1654- When I was three I went with my older sister to a school for girls named “Amigas” where I began to learn how to read and write with one of the teachers who at first, didn't think I was old enough to learn but changed her mind after I demonstrated that at such a young age I was already capable of learning!
1659- After I had already read all of the books from my grandfather`s personal library, I was able to convince my mom into realizing I deserved to live in Mexico city where as a prodigious child, I would be able to grow in an environment which would allow me greater life opportunities than in the village, so I went to live with my aunt`s family in Mexico city. When I arrived, my desire for knowledge endured and I began to learn Latin.
1664- Surprisingly, my existence in Mexico city spread very quickly and the viceroy Antonio Sebastian de Toledo Marquis de Mancera, together with his wife Leonor Carreto invited me to their court in order for me to present myself. They were so impressed by my intellectual brilliance that the vicereine made me the lady-in-waiting of the Viceregal court.
1667- Even though I really enjoyed the court where I had a lot of time and inspiration to write, I decided that as a religious and clerical woman, it was time for me to assume my duties as a nun once for all and so I entered the Convent of the Discalced Camerlities of St. Joseph. After after three months there, I felt that it wasn't the correct convent for me since I didn't agree with many of its rules, so I left it.
1669- After several years dedicated into finding the correct convent for me, I found the Convent of Santa Paula of the Hieronymite Order, also located in Mexico City and knew that it would be where I wanted to spend the rest of my life since not only did it have it a collection of scientific musical instruments and intellectual gatherings, but there I found the religious support I needed to serve as a nun. There I had my own private apartment, which was very comfortable since I had my own kitchen, bathroom and living room. I had many duties in the convent, but my main ones were teaching music and drama to the girls in St. Paula`s school and as the accountant and archivist of the convent. There I was also able to maintain contact with the viceroy who advised me into ignoring derogatory.
1773- As any accordance, the viceregal term made by the viceroy Marquis Antonio Sebastian de Toledo Marquis de Mancera, ended since it became harder for the viceroy to interfere in my religious routine so even though I still admired the viceregal court and their contributions to my life, I decided to ask for the Archbishop Friar Payo Enriques de Ribera for advice and guidance since he would have a greater access and understanding of my daily life due to our religious similarities.
1680- A new viceregal couple became in charge of the viceregal court and Marquis de la Laguna and the Condesa de Paredes, Maria Luisa, also wanted to meet me. After our first encounter, they were also very admired by my religious and intellectual passion and I became their acquaintance, specially with Maria who always supported and revered my writting. In this same year I also wrote the "Neptuno Alegòrico", which was a significant text with the purpose to commend the viceroy Tomas de la Cerda and the Marquise de la Laguna for all of their support.
1681- This year was very focused to my religious duties so only two of my writings became very famous at the time, which were the "Carta de Monterrey" in which I wrote about espiritual defense and strength and the poem " You Foolish Men" in which I wrote with the purpose to make society aware of the arbitrary immoral inequalities surrounding all of us women.
1683- Due to my role as a drama teacher to the incredible girls in St. Paula`s school, I decided that in order to display a perfect exemplification of what drama is, I needed to write a play myself. So I wrote the secular play, The Trials of a Noble House which is a smart comedy "comedia del enredo", I made with the purpose to make the public observe entanglements of life in a enjoyable and pleasant way.
1688- Even though my faith made me vigorous and hopeful, this year was full of disappointments since not only the Marquis and Marquise of la Laguna moved to Spain and left me with no noble protection, but my mother, Isabel Ramìres died leaving me full of sorrow. In this same year my leader, the Archbishop declared himself as being against secular studies and drama, meaning I no longer had his support.
1689- This year, a greater quantity of my work was published, including the play Amor es màs Laberinto (Love the Greater Labyrinth) which was published in Madrid, the first edition of "Inundación Castálida" (Castalian Flood) and the celestial play "The Divine Narcissus" .
1690- This was also another impacting year in my journey since my trusted friend, The Bishop of Puebla, Manuel Fernàndez de Santa Cruz, published without my consent the critique I made about a 1650 sermon written by an eminent Portuguese Jesuit Antonio Vieira. Along with The Athenagoric Letter in which I commented about the sermon, he also published a letter he wrote supposedly directed to "Sor Philothea de la Cruz" however it was an indiscreet pseudonym to my name, and it had the purpose to admonish me into concentrating on religious rather than secular inquiries.
1691- In march 1st 1961, I published my response to the Bishop of Puebla titled "Reply to Sor Philothea" in which I expressed my point of view in a defensive manner in order to justify my studies in science and in human arts to understand sacred theology and also to defend women's rights in education and in the society.
1694- This year was a time of great changes and specially a change in my own perspective. On March 5th 1694, I wrote with my own blood, my contrition on the Book of Vows in which I decided to apologize for having left my religion as a second priority even though I remained in the convent and I let all of musical, mathematical and books be taken away from me. I decided to make my pen silent.
1965- Sadly, I died of the plague on April 17th, 1965 after taking care of my sick sisters who were also suffering with the epidemic which took me away.
By Maria Luiza Costa