Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz

"I don't study to know more, but to ignore less."

Museum of the Americas [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

WRITER
Wrote revolutionary works that challenged contemporary stereotypes of women and advocated for improved women's rights
Entered a convent in Mexico City as a teenager and remained there for the rest of her life, writing plays, essays, and poetry, as well as teaching drama, composing music, and serving as accountant and archivist for the convent
She also amassed one of the LARGEST private collections of books in the New World
Her fictional work often featured brave and intelligent female characters, and she praised educated female saints in her religious writings
Unlike most female authors of her day, she and her work became famous -- she was nicknamed the Tenth Muse, and appointed the unofficial royal poet for the Spanish court
The Church eventually ordered her to stop writing and focus on her religious duties, to which she responded, "One can perfectly well philosophize while cooking supper."
Considered to be the FIRST published feminist of the New World
Her likeness is on the Mexican 200-peso bill
The National Museum of Mexican Art holds a Sor Juana Festival every year in her honor

Bibliography: Doyle, Caitlin. Girls Can Do Anything: From Sports to Innovation, Art to Politics, Meet Over 200 Women Who Got There First. Buffalo: Firefly Books, 2016. Print.
National Museum of Mexican Art. http://nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org/sorjuana

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