Relacion famosa, amor es mas labyrintho

What it is

This is an early printed edition of Amor es mas labyrintho, a mythological comedy written by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz about Theseus and the Minotaur. It was printed in Córdoba, Spain, and is now held in the Biblioteca Nacional de España. The play had been staged at court in 1689.

Why it matters

This printing shows that Sor Juana's plays were not confined to Mexico but traveled to Spain, where they were performed and read at court. This tells us that her reputation as a writer reached the center of the Spanish empire during her own lifetime.

Look closer

• Why might a play written in colonial Mexico have been printed and performed in Spain itself?
• What does the decorative title page tell you about how printed plays were presented to readers at the time?
• What do you think it meant for a woman writer in the Spanish colonies to have her work staged at the royal court?