A framed portrait of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, depicted sitting with a table of books, writing utensils, and a clock. She wears traditional nun attire with a large medallion around her neck. The background features a bookshelf with large text on book spines and a red curtain in the upper right corner.

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

Nun, poet, scholar, and author in New Spain (1648–95 CE)

Considered the first feminist of the Americas, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz was a poet, scholar, and nun who lived in colonial Mexico in the 17th century. Miguel Cabrera’s posthumous portrait is a famous depiction of the esteemed Mexican nun and writer of such works as The Answer (La respuesta, 1691).

Explore the life of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, the most famous woman in colonial Mexico! Discover the story behind the renowned portrait painted by Miguel Cabrera in the 18th century.

  • Electa Arenal and Amanda Powell, eds. The Answer/La respuesta. 2 ed. (New York: The Feminist Press at the City University of New York, 2009).

    Charlene Villaseñor Black, “Portraits of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and the Dangers of Intellectual Desire,” in Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz:  Selected Works, Norton Critical Edition, edited by Anna More (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2016).

a woman stands wearing a blue cape, floral crown, and she holds a floral candle and crucifix