In, Calligraphy of the Witch, Concepcion talks a lot about her “madre” who turns out to be Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz. Many may not have known who Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz was prior to reading the book. In order to have an idea of where Concepcion is coming from, it is important to know who Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz is.  Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz is one of Mexico’s finest writers. She is considered a feminist and many believe that she was ahead of her time. Sor Juana was a very intelligent woman and she loved reading. In her time however, it was rare for women to be scholars; the only way for her to be able to keep reading and writing was to enter the convent and become a nun. Although Sor Juana was very critical towards men, she didn’t get so much in trouble because of this. In fact, like Concepcion, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz faced problems and contreversies because of religion. In her writing, Sor Juana attacked many of the clergy in the church. She was threatened and had to stop writing.

I found a website which has many of Sor Juana’s poems. Reading her poetry might be helpful in making connections and understanding Concepcion’s points of view a bit better.  The link is to the poem which Concepcion always thought about.

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/you-men/

The Biography of Sor Juana Ines De La Cruz. “The Biography of Sor Juana Ines De La Cruz.”Poemhunter.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.

http://www.poemhunter.com/sor-juana-ines-de-la-cruz/biography/