7/29/2019 Sr Juana Yo la peor
1/1
Next weeks film, I, the Worst of All (Yo, la peor de todas) is
set in Mexico City in the 1600s. Mexico
is now Nueva Espaa (New Spain), a Virreinato (Viceroyalty) of
the Spanish Empire. A Viceroyalty
differs from a colony in that there is a Virrey (Viceroy) who
runs the region and who represents
the King of Spain (to whom he answers directly.)
The social organization of Nueva Espaa closely mirrors that of
Spain at that time. The nobility is
on top, and is closely aligned with the clergy and the military.
Most if not all of these people wouldbe Spaniards who had come over
directly from Spain. Beneath them were the criollos, children
of
Spaniards who were born in the New World. They had access to
most but not all of the positions
of power and influence. Beneath them were the mestizos, who were
European (usually by the
father) and indigenous (usually by the mother.) Their status in
part was further determined by
whether or not they were legitimate offspring. Beneath them
would usually be the African slaves,
who began arriving in Mexico in the first half of the 1500s. At
the bottom of the social scale were
the indigenous peoples.
Of course, this social scale only applied to the men! The women
in Nueva Espaa were few and far
between at first(leading of the proliferation of mestizos.....)
The wives and families of the
conquistadores made their way over, and eventually women of
various social categories arrived,ranging from prostitutes to
middle and upper class women hoping to land a criollo.
White women were traditionally confined t the house, didnt
attend school (or if they did, not for
very long) and were taught the domestic and social skills needed
for their future married lives.
Restricting their movements was done in part to not expose them
to unsavory elements, like the
African and Indian inhabitants. However, these were the people
employed in the homes and
domestic workers and slaves, and those with whom many of the
women had a lot of contact.
Those women who didnt or couldntmarry had two other options, one
more reputable than the
other; the convent or the brothel. Our heroine for next weeks
film Sor (Sister) Juana Ins de la
Cruz, chose the former. The readings will give you some
understanding of the religiousatmosphere of the day, of the
position of women in society, and of Sor Juana herself.
She has been called La dcima musa (The 10th Muse), and is often
considered to be the 1sttrue
intellectual of the New World, male or female. I couldnt justify
leaving her out of this semster!
A Baroque Archbishop Viceroy Irving Leonard
Describe the personality and temperament of Fray Garca
Guerra
How do appearance and reality vary within this reading?
What did the nuns want and how did they hope to get it?
What signs or omens seemed to indicate the future of Fray
Garca?What eventually happened to him?
What do you think the authors intent was in terms of describing
the Catholic church?
On Mens Hipocrisy Sor Juana
What is the main point of the poem?
Do you think there was a specific target (individual person) or
was she aiming more
generally?
