Who was "The Phoenix of America"?

Juana Inés de la Cruz (1648-1695), the first feminist in the Americas, nicknamed the “Phoenix of America”, rose from the ashes of “religious authoritarianism” in order to read, learn and write in peace without being dictated to by the misogynistic Mexican society. Juana lived during Mexico’s colonial period when women were not allowed to attend university. Despite this, Juana educated herself through books and began writing her thoughts about love, feminism and religion. Yet, Juana could not avoid the advances of men who believed she should settle down and marry. She sought the safety of a nunnery, which allowed her to continue writing until her opinions upset (male) members of the clergy.

Despite taking on the title “Sor”, the Spanish equivalent of "sister", Sor Juana’s main aim was to focus on her literary pursuits. Whilst she followed the ways of the nuns, she spent all her spare time writing. Her writings, poems and plays covered many of her interests, such as religion, philosophy, mathematics and science. She also enjoyed music and studied the theory of instrumental tuning, on which she wrote a treatise.

Eventually, the nun’s controversial works caused a lot of concern amongst high-ranking (male) officials who criticised her “waywardness”. As a result, Juana was forbidden from reading and forced to undergo penance. Rather than signing the penitential documents with her name, she wrote: “Yo, la Peor de Todas” (I, the worst of all women).