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Secondary sourceSculpturededicated 19 October 1981

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Statue, Madrid

dedicated 19 October 1981

A bronze memorial statue of Sor Juana, donated by Mexico to the people of Madrid, shown seated in religious habit with a veil.

This later memorial statue commemorates Sor Juana as a celebrated figure of Mexican and Hispanic letters.

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Bronze statue of a seated robed woman with a veil, on a grey granite pedestal. Inscription reads that the people of Mexico, through the convent of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, dedicate this statue to the people of Madrid, dated 19 October 1981. Green trees behind.
Memorial statue of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, dedicated 19 October 1981, Madrid.

About this source

What it is

This is a bronze statue of a seated woman in a nun's habit and veil, set on a granite pedestal. An inscription records that it was given by the people of Mexico, through the convent associated with Sor Juana, to the people of Madrid in 1981.

Why it matters

The statue is not from Sor Juana's own lifetime but a modern tribute showing how she is remembered centuries later as one of Mexico's most celebrated writers. Its placement in Madrid reflects the historical ties between Mexico and Spain.

Look closer

  • What does the choice of a seated, robed figure suggest about how Sor Juana is remembered?
  • Why might Mexico have chosen to give this statue to Madrid specifically?
  • What does the inscription tell you that the statue itself cannot?

This sculpture 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.

More Juana Inés de la Cruz sources

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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

Primary source

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

Primary source

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

Primary source

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

Primary source

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

Primary source

Inundación castálida

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz · 1689

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