Two Female Mexican Icons: The Virgin of Guadalupe and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
If one wanted to choose the most representative female figures from all of Mexican history, there is no doubt that Sor Juana and the Virgin of Guadalupe would be the two who have most impacted Mexican society. In this course we will first concentrate on the Guadalupe and will trace her transformation from the 16th- through the 21st century. In spite of a number of polemics around the veracity of her apparitions, she has consolidated herself as the symbol of the Mexican nation. Even in the 21st century, the Virgin of Guadalupe continues to be the most important religious icon in Mexican society. We will read historical documents and poetry, and will give attention to the colonial and contemporary art on the topic. Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz is considered the first feminist of the New World. We will study some of her most representative pieces, and also her response to the ‘creation’ of the Guadalupe myth. Not open to students who have taken SPAN/WAGS 1015. (Any two 0300-level Spanish course)