Juana Inés de la Cruz
Juana Inés de Asbaje y Ramírez de Santillana, better known as
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (12 November 1648 – 17 April 1695), was a
Hieronymite nun and a Spanish writer, philosopher, composer and poet of the
Baroque period, nicknamed "The Tenth Muse", "The Mexican Phoenix", and "The Phoenix of America" by her contemporary critics. She was also a student of science and corresponded with the English scientist Isaac Newton. She was among the main contributors to the
Spanish Golden Age, alongside
Juan de Espinosa Medrano,
Juan Ruiz de Alarcón and
Garcilaso de la Vega "''el Inca"'', and is considered one of the most important female writers in
Spanish language literature and
Mexican literature.
Sor Juana's significance to different communities and has varied greatly across time- having been presented as a candidate for
Catholic sainthood; a symbol of
Mexican nationalism; and a paragon of
freedom of speech,
women's rights, and
sexual diversity, making her a figure of great controversy and debate to this day.
Provided by Wikipedia