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Signature of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz · 1689

Sor Juana's handwritten signature, one of the few surviving traces of her own handwriting, dated 1689.

Her own handwritten signature is a rare direct physical trace of Sor Juana herself.

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Handwritten signature in brown ink on cream paper reading 'Juana Inés de la Cruz' in looping cursive, with the word 'Contadora' written beneath it and a flourish below.
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, autograph signature, 1689.

About this source

What it is

This is the autograph signature of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, written in brown ink and reading 'Juana Inés de la Cruz,' with the word 'Contadora' beneath it, dated 1689.

Why it matters

Surviving examples of her own handwriting are rare, making this signature a direct physical link to her. The word 'Contadora' suggests a role she held within her convent, hinting at her practical responsibilities beyond her writing and scholarship.

Look closer

  • What does the style of the handwriting suggest about her education or training?
  • Why might the word 'Contadora' appear beneath her name, and what does it tell us about her life in the convent?
  • Why are such simple objects as a signature valuable to historians?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Juana Inés de la Cruz on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Open book showing the title page of 'Fama, y obras posthumas del Fenix de Mexico' by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, published in Madrid in 1714. A library stamp and a number 157448 appear on the left page.Letter

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Respuesta a Sor Filotea de la Cruz

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz · 1691

Printed page from a 1714 edition of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz's works, headed 'Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz' and 'REDONDILLAS', with the poem 'Hombres necios' printed in two columns of Spanish verse in old-style typeface, page number 85 at top right.Book

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Hombres necios

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

Title page of 'Poemas de la única poetisa americana, musa décima, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz', Madrid 1714, first volume. Printed in black letter with large capitals, listing the author as a religious professed in San Jerónimo, Mexico City, and the dedication to Saint Joseph and Saint Teresa.Book

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Primero sueño

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz · 1692

Title page of a 1695 printed broadside in Spanish, with an ornate border. Heading reads 'Protesta de la fe, y renovación de los votos religiosos, que hizo, y dejó escrita con su sangre la M. Juana Inés de la Cruz, Monja Profesa en S. Gerónimo de Mexico.' Below: an indulgence notice, a central 'JHS' monogram, and the imprint 'En Mexico, por Doña Maria de Benavides Viuda de Juan de Ribera. Año de 1695.'Document

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Protesta de la fe y renovación de los votos religiosos

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz · 1695

Title page of Inundación Castalida, 1689, by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Text in old Spanish typeface names her as the unique poetess, religious of San Jerónimo in Mexico City, and gives the dedication to the Condesa de Paredes, Marquesa de la Laguna, and the publisher Juan García Infanzón in Madrid.Book

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Inundación castálida

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz · 1689

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