During the sixteen hundreds, a time where women were looked down upon in Spanish-American culture, two female, Christian authorities recorded their journey upon the path of Christ. Although they were similar in motivation and purpose, they held different positions in the eyes of the society. Juana Inés de la Cruz held the position of nun, while Ursula de Jesús was a donada, a version of nun that was of African or indigenous descent, but was considered to be inferior on the social ladder. Both women, however, were strongly oppressed throughout their lives, and this common disadvantage drove them both to similar conclusions and solutions about the hierarchies of the religious order of the time. Ursula de Jesús began her journal in 1650, in the convent of Santa Clara, where she had recently began to work as donada after a nun had purchased her freedom in 1645. The journal was prompted by a near death …show more content…
No little harm is done by this, as we witness every day in pitiful examples of ill-assorted unions; from the ease of contact and the close company kept over a period of time, there easily comes about something not thought possible… All of this would be eliminated if there were older women of learning … and instruction were passed down from one group to another. (Sor Juana 232-233)
De Jesús’ writing aims to brings to light that ignoring the taboo of educating women could be the only way to break the oppressive cycle, and allow equally educated genders to become the norm. Juana Inés de la Cruz and Ursula de Jesús, both victims of an oppressive system, use religion to support equality. While de Jesús focuses on race and de la Cruz focuses on gender, their faith unites the two, defining an overall goal of equal opportunities for all in both the Church and the society