Cruz, Sor Juana Inés de la

(pseudonym of Juana Inés de la Asbaje y Ramires de Santillana). Born Nov. 12, 1651, in San Miguel Nepantla, present-day México State; died Apr. 17, 1695, in Mexico City. Mexican poet.

Sor Juana became a nun in 1667 and devoted herself to the study of science and poetry. She wrote in such traditional forms of Spanish poetry as the sonnet, romance, and redondilla; her style was influenced by L. Góngora y Argote. Sor Juana’s best lyric poetry combined profound intellect with elegant form and refined wit with a penetrating, poetic simplicity. The predominant theme of her poetry was love. She also wrote plays, verse epistles, and satirical and comic verse.