History's "worst" nun - Theresa A. Yugar
-
0:07 - 0:12Juana Ramírez de Asbaje sat before a panel
of prestigious theologians, -
0:12 - 0:14jurists, and mathematicians.
-
0:14 - 0:18The viceroy of New Spain had invited them
to test the young woman’s knowledge -
0:18 - 0:21by posing the most difficult questions
they could muster. -
0:21 - 0:24But Juana successfully answered
every challenge, -
0:24 - 0:28from complicated equations to
philosophical queries. -
0:28 - 0:30Observers would later liken the scene
-
0:30 - 0:34to “a royal galleon fending
off a few canoes.” -
0:34 - 0:38The woman who faced this interrogation
was born in the mid-17th century. -
0:38 - 0:43At that time, Mexico had been a Spanish
colony for over a century, -
0:43 - 0:46leading to a complex and
stratified class system. -
0:46 - 0:49Juana’s maternal grandparents
were born in Spain, -
0:49 - 0:52making them members of Mexico’s
most esteemed class. -
0:52 - 0:57But Juana was born out of wedlock, and
her father – a Spanish military captain – -
0:57 - 1:02left her mother, Doña Isabel,
to raise Juana and her sisters alone. -
1:02 - 1:05Fortunately, her grandfather’s
moderate means -
1:05 - 1:07ensured the family
a comfortable existence. -
1:07 - 1:11And Doña Isabel set a strong example
for her daughters, -
1:11 - 1:14successfully managing one of her father’s
two estates, -
1:14 - 1:18despite her illiteracy and the
misogyny of the time. -
1:18 - 1:22It was perhaps this precedent that
inspired Juana’s lifelong confidence. -
1:22 - 1:26At age three, she secretly followed her
older sister to school. -
1:26 - 1:30When she later learned that higher
education was open only to men, -
1:30 - 1:33she begged her mother to let her attend
in disguise. -
1:33 - 1:38Her request denied, Juana found solace
in her grandfather’s private library. -
1:38 - 1:42By early adolescence, she’d mastered
philosophical debate, Latin, -
1:42 - 1:45and the Aztec language Nahuatl.
-
1:45 - 1:48Juana’s precocious intellect attracted
attention -
1:48 - 1:50from the royal court in Mexico City,
-
1:50 - 1:52and when she was sixteen,
-
1:52 - 1:56the viceroy and his wife took her in
as their lady-in-waiting. -
1:56 - 2:01Here, her plays and poems alternately
dazzled and outraged the court. -
2:01 - 2:03Her provocative poem Foolish Men
-
2:03 - 2:06infamously criticized sexist
double standards, -
2:06 - 2:11decrying how men corrupt women
while blaming them for immorality. -
2:11 - 2:15Despite its controversy, her work still
inspired adoration, -
2:15 - 2:16and numerous proposals.
-
2:16 - 2:20But Juana was more interested in knowledge
than marriage. -
2:20 - 2:22And in the patriarchal
society of the time, -
2:22 - 2:25there was only one place
she could find it. -
2:25 - 2:29The Church, while still under the zealous
influence of the Spanish Inquisition, -
2:29 - 2:33would allow Juana to retain her
independence and respectability -
2:33 - 2:35while remaining unmarried.
-
2:35 - 2:39At age 20, she entered the Hieronymite
Convent of Santa Paula -
2:39 - 2:43and took on her new name:
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. -
2:43 - 2:48For years, Sor Juana was considered a
prized treasure of the church. -
2:48 - 2:52She wrote dramas, comedies, and treatises
on philosophy and mathematics, -
2:52 - 2:55in addition to religious music and poetry.
-
2:55 - 2:57She accrued a massive library,
-
2:57 - 2:59and was visited by many
prominent scholars. -
2:59 - 3:02While serving as the convent’s treasurer
and archivist, -
3:02 - 3:06she also protected the livelihoods of her
niece and sisters -
3:06 - 3:08from men who tried to exploit them.
-
3:08 - 3:12But her outspokenness ultimately brought
her into conflict with her benefactors. -
3:12 - 3:19In 1690, a bishop published Sor Juana’s
private critique of a respected sermon. -
3:19 - 3:20In the publication,
-
3:20 - 3:25he admonished Sor Juana to devote herself
to prayer rather than debate. -
3:25 - 3:28She replied that God would not have given
women intellect -
3:28 - 3:30if he did not want them to use it.
-
3:30 - 3:35The exchange caught the attention of the
conservative Archbishop of Mexico. -
3:35 - 3:38Slowly, Sor Juana was stripped of her
prestige, -
3:38 - 3:41forced to sell her books
and give up writing. -
3:41 - 3:45Furious at this censorship, but unwilling
to leave the church, -
3:45 - 3:47she bitterly renewed her vows.
-
3:47 - 3:50In her last act of defiance, she signed
them -
3:50 - 3:53“I, the worst of all,” in her own blood.
-
3:53 - 3:58Deprived of scholarship, Sor Juana threw
herself into charity work, -
3:58 - 4:03and in 1695, she died of an illness she
contracted while nursing her sisters. -
4:03 - 4:09Today, Sor Juana has been recognized
as the first feminist in the Americas. -
4:09 - 4:13She’s the subject of countless
documentaries, novels, and operas, -
4:13 - 4:16and appears on Mexico’s 200-peso banknote.
-
4:16 - 4:19In the words of Nobel laureate
Octavio Paz: -
4:19 - 4:23“It is not enough to say that Sor Juana’s
work is a product of history; -
4:23 - 4:28we must add that history is also
a product of her work.”
- Title:
- History's "worst" nun - Theresa A. Yugar
- Speaker:
- Theresa A. Yugar
- Description:
-
View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/history-s-worst-nun-theresa-a-yugar
Juana Ramírez de Asbaje sat before a panel of prestigious theologians, jurists, and mathematicians. They had been invited to test Juana’s knowledge with the most difficult questions they could muster. But she successfully answered every challenge, from complicated equations to philosophical queries. Who was this impressive woman? Theresa Yugar details the life of the Mexican poet and scholar.
Lesson by Theresa A. Yugar, directed by Wow-How Studio.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 04:32
lauren mcalpine edited English subtitles for History's "worst" nun | ||
lauren mcalpine approved English subtitles for History's "worst" nun | ||
lauren mcalpine accepted English subtitles for History's "worst" nun | ||
lauren mcalpine edited English subtitles for History's "worst" nun | ||
Tara Ahmadinejad edited English subtitles for History's "worst" nun | ||
Tara Ahmadinejad edited English subtitles for History's "worst" nun |