Respuesta a Sor Filotea de la Cruz

What it is

This is a letter written in 1691 by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, replying to a rebuke from the Bishop of Puebla, Manuel Fernández de Santa Cruz, who had written under the pen name "Sor Filotea." It was first printed five years after her death, in a 1714 collection of her works gathered by Juan Ignacio de Castorena y Ursúa.

Why it matters

The bishop had told Sor Juana that her studies in poetry and the humanities were a waste of time unless tied directly to Christian theology. In reply, Sor Juana defended her right, as a woman, to learn and write about many subjects. Scholars consider this the first text in the Americas to argue for women's education, and it remains the main source for understanding her intellectual life and her conflicts with church authority.

Look closer

• Why might Sor Juana use humility and politeness while still arguing so firmly?
• What does the bishop's letter, hidden behind a female pen name, tell you about how men could criticize women at the time?
• Why was this letter not published until after Sor Juana's death?