Born circa November 12, 1651, in San Miguel Nepantla, Tepetlixpa, Mexico, Juana Inés de la Cruz’s intelligence and scholarship became known throughout the country during her teen years.
She began her life as a nun in 1667 so that she could study at will. After taking her vows, Sor Juana read tirelessly and wrote plays and poetry, often challenging societal values and becoming an early proponent of women’s rights.
Sor Juana is heralded for her Respuesta a Sor Filotea, which defends women’s rights to educational access, and is credited as the first published feminist of the New World.
She died in Mexico in 1695.
