WORST NUN IN HISTORY

Juana Ramírez de Asbaje faced a formidable panel comprising esteemed theologians, jurists, and mathematicians. The viceroy of New Spain had summoned them to test the young woman's knowledge with the most challenging questions they could conceive. Yet, Juana astounded everyone by providing successful answers to their diverse challenges, ranging from complex mathematical equations to intricate philosophical inquiries. Onlookers would later liken this scene to "a majestic galleon fending off a few canoes."

Born in the mid-17th century, Juana hailed from a Mexico that had been a Spanish colony for over a century, characterized by a complex and hierarchical class structure. Her maternal grandparents, who were born in Spain, belonged to Mexico's most esteemed social class. However, Juana's birth was out of wedlock, and her father, a Spanish military captain, had departed, leaving her mother, Doña Isabel, to raise Juana and her sisters single-handedly. Fortunately, their grandfather's modest means ensured the family's comfort. Doña Isabel, despite her illiteracy and the prevailing misogyny of the era, set a strong example for her daughters by competently managing one of her father's two estates.

This early influence may have inspired Juana's lifelong self-assuredness. At the tender age of three, she secretly followed her older sister to school. When she later discovered that higher education was reserved for men, she implored her mother to let her attend in disguise. Her request was denied, but Juana discovered solace in her grandfather's private library. By early adolescence, she had already mastered philosophical discourse, Latin, and the Aztec language, Nahuatl.

Juana's remarkable intellect drew the attention of the royal court in Mexico City, leading the viceroy and his wife to take her in as their lady-in-waiting when she was just sixteen. Her plays and poems alternately dazzled and shocked the court. Her bold poem, "Foolish Men," famously criticized sexist double standards, denouncing the way men corrupted women while simultaneously blaming them for immorality. Despite the controversy, her work garnered adoration and numerous marriage proposals. However, Juana's passion lay in knowledge, not matrimony. In the patriarchal society of the time, the only place where she could pursue her thirst for knowledge was the Church.

The Church, although still influenced by the rigorous Spanish Inquisition, offered Juana a means to retain her independence and respectability while remaining unmarried. At the age of 20, she entered the Hieronymite Convent of Santa Paula and adopted the name Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz.

For years, Sor Juana was considered a prized asset of the Church. She penned dramas, comedies, treatises on philosophy and mathematics, religious music, and poetry. Her personal library grew substantially, attracting visits from numerous prominent scholars. While serving as the convent's treasurer and archivist, she also shielded her niece and sisters from men who sought to exploit them. However, her outspokenness eventually brought her into conflict with her patrons.

In 1690, a bishop published Sor Juana's private critique of a respected sermon, admonishing her to devote herself to prayer rather than debate. Her response, asserting that God would not have granted women intellect if he did not intend for them to use it, drew the attention of the conservative Archbishop of Mexico. Gradually, Sor Juana's prestige was stripped away, forcing her to sell her books and relinquish her writing. Enraged by this censorship but unwilling to leave the Church, she reluctantly renewed her vows. In a final act of defiance, she signed them "I, the worst of all," using her own blood.

Deprived of her scholarly pursuits, Sor Juana redirected her energies towards charitable work. In 1695, she succumbed to an illness she contracted while caring for her sisters.

Today, Sor Juana is celebrated as the first feminist in the Americas. Her life and work have become the subject of numerous documentaries, novels, operas, and she is even featured on Mexico's 200-peso banknote. In the words of Nobel laureate Octavio Paz, "It is not sufficient to say that Sor Juana's work is a product of history; we must also acknowledge that history is, in part, a product of her work."