Protesta de la fe y renovación de los votos religiosos

What it is

This is a printed broadside from 1695 titled "Protesta de la fe, y renovación de los votos religiosos" ("Protestation of faith and renewal of religious vows"). It records a renewal of vows said to have been written by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and signed with her own blood, printed in Mexico the year of her death.

Why it matters

This document is often read as evidence of Sor Juana's final submission to church authority after years of pressure over her intellectual pursuits. It was printed so that other nuns could repeat the same vow, with an indulgence offered by the archbishop for doing so, showing how the church used her example to encourage obedience in other women religious.

Look closer

• Why might the church have wanted this document widely printed and repeated by other nuns?
• What does the promise of an indulgence tell you about how religious authority worked at the time?
• How might this document complicate the picture of Sor Juana as a defender of learning?