Sor Juana – L2T – Second Language Tech

First Sentences

258 Words

This is a story about Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz.

She lived a long time ago.

She was born in Mexico.

She was born in 1648.

She lived near Mexico City.

Juana was a very smart girl.

She loved to learn.

She loved to read books.

She learned to read when she was very young.

She read books every day.

At that time, girls did not go to school.

Only boys went to school.

Juana wanted to learn too.

She asked her family for books.

She read at home.

Juana did not have a teacher.

She learned by herself.

She read books about many things.

She learned about numbers.

She learned about the world.

She also liked music.

She liked to write poems.

She wrote many words.

People saw she was very smart.

People asked her many questions.

Juana went to Mexico City.

She lived in a big house.

Important people met her.

They asked her hard questions.

Juana gave good answers.

Juana wanted a quiet life.

She did not want to get married.

She wanted time to study.

She became a nun.

She lived in a convent.

The convent was quiet.

Juana read every day there.

She wrote poems and songs.

Many people liked her writing.

She became famous.

Juana said women can learn.

She said women are smart.

Some people did not agree.

Juana felt very sad.

She stopped writing.

Many people got sick in the convent.

Juana helped the sick people.

She got sick too.

Juana died in 1695.

Today, people remember her.

Level 1 Reader

488 Words

A Girl Who Loved to Learn

Juana Inés de la Cruz was born in Mexico in 1648. Her full name was Juana Inés de Asbaje y Ramírez. She lived a long time ago. She lived in a small village near Mexico City.

Juana was a smart girl. She loved to read books. She learned to read when she was very young. She read many books in Spanish. She also read books in Latin.

At that time, girls could not go to school. Only boys went to school. But Juana wanted to learn. She asked her family for books. She read all the time.

Learning in Secret

Juana did not have a teacher. But she learned by herself. She read books about science, math, and history. She also learned music. She loved to write poems.

Juana went to live with her aunt and uncle. They had more books. She read all day. She even hid in some secret places to read!

People were surprised. Juana was very smart. She asked many questions. She wanted to know everything.

A Visit to the Palace

When Juana was a teenager, she went to Mexico City. She lived at the palace of the viceroy. A viceroy is like a king’s helper. He and his wife liked Juana.

Juana talked with smart men. They gave her hard questions. She answered all of them. Everyone was amazed.

But life at the palace was not easy. Juana did not like the rich people’s games. She wanted a quiet place to study.

A New Life in the Convent

Juana did not want to get married. She wanted to study. So she became a nun. A nun is a woman who lives in a convent. A convent is a quiet place.

In the convent, Juana read and wrote. She wrote poems, songs, and plays. She also wrote about science and nature. She kept many books in her room.

Many people liked Juana’s writing. She was famous in Mexico and Spain.

A Voice for Women

Juana said women should read and learn too. She said women are smart. She said God gave women minds to use.

Some church leaders did not agree. They said Juana should stop writing. They said she should only think about God.

Juana was sad. She gave away her books. She stopped writing. She listened to the church.

The End of Her Life

In 1695, there was a sickness in the convent. Many people got sick. Juana helped the sick people. She got sick too.

Juana died in 1695. She was 46 years old.

Remembering Juana Inés de la Cruz

Today, people still read Juana’s poems and books. Many schools in Mexico are named after her. She is a hero for women and girls.

Juana showed the world that girls can be smart. Girls can learn. Girls can write. Girls can lead.

Juana Inés de la Cruz loved to learn—and she never gave up.

Level 2 Reader

520 Words

A Girl Who Loved to Learn
Juana Inés de la Cruz was born in Mexico in 1648. Her family lived in a small town near Mexico City. From a young age, Juana was different. She loved to read, write, and learn new things. But in those days, girls were not allowed to go to school.

Juana did not give up. She taught herself to read when she was only three years old. She read every book she could find in her grandfather’s library. She also learned Latin and studied science, philosophy, and even music.

Life at the Palace
When Juana was a teenager, she was invited to live at the palace in Mexico City. The viceroy and his wife, who ruled Mexico for Spain, were amazed by her intelligence. They asked her many difficult questions. Juana answered all of them with ease. Everyone was impressed.

She became a lady-in-waiting at the palace. There, she had access to many books and could talk to smart people. But palace life was not peaceful. There were rules, gossip, and pressure to marry. Juana did not want to get married. She wanted to study and write.

A Life in the Convent
To avoid marriage, Juana decided to become a nun. She joined a convent in 1669. Life in the convent was quiet and gave her the time she needed to read, write, and think. She turned her room into a small library and science lab.

Juana wrote poems, plays, and essays. She also studied mathematics, theology, and astronomy. Her writing showed her great knowledge and her strong opinions. She believed that women had the right to study and be educated. This was a very bold idea at that time.

A Voice for Women
One of Juana’s most famous works is a letter called The Reply to Sister Filotea. In this letter, Juana explained why she studied so much and defended the right of women to learn. She said that women, like men, have the ability to think deeply and learn many things.

This letter made some people angry. The Church did not like women speaking out. They told Juana to stop writing. She obeyed, but her words lived on. Her writings helped future generations understand the importance of education for all.

Her Final Days
In her later years, Juana gave away many of her books and stopped writing. She spent her time helping the sick and poor. In 1695, a disease spread through the convent. Juana caught it while caring for others. She died that same year, but her ideas did not die with her.

A Lasting Legacy
Today, Juana Inés de la Cruz is remembered as one of the most important writers in Latin America. She is known as the “Tenth Muse” and the “Phoenix of Mexico.” Her face is even on the 200-peso bill in Mexico.

More importantly, she is a symbol of strength, intelligence, and the power of education. Juana proved that a woman’s mind is just as powerful as a man’s. Her life inspires girls and women all over the world to follow their dreams, no matter the obstacles.

Level 3 Reader

568 Words

A Brilliant Mind in a Silent World
In the heart of 17th-century Mexico, in a land still under Spanish control, a young girl named Juana Inés de la Cruz was born in 1648. From a very early age, Juana showed signs of genius. She learned to read and write by the age of three, and by the time she was a teenager, she was already famous for her intelligence. But Juana was a girl—and in her world, girls were expected to be quiet, obedient, and uneducated.

Despite these expectations, Juana continued to study. She read every book she could find, from philosophy to theology, from poetry to science. She even learned Latin on her own, simply by watching her older sister’s lessons. Her passion for knowledge was unstoppable.

The Royal Court and a Life Choice
As a young woman, Juana was invited to live at the viceroy’s court in Mexico City. There, she amazed scholars, poets, and noblemen with her intelligence. She was tested by forty of the city’s leading intellectuals—and passed every question with ease. People began to refer to her as “The Tenth Muse,” comparing her to the nine Greek muses of art and science.

But court life wasn’t what Juana wanted. She didn’t care for fashion or gossip. What she truly wanted was time and space to read, write, and think. So, at the age of twenty, she made a radical decision: she became a nun.

A Cloistered Life of Thought
Entering a convent gave Juana something few women had—freedom. Inside the convent walls, she built her own library of thousands of books, scientific instruments, and musical instruments. She continued writing poetry, plays, and essays. Her works were filled with clever wit, deep thought, and strong emotion.

One of her most famous poems, You Foolish Men, criticizes the way men judge women for the very behaviors they encourage. It was a bold and daring piece, especially for a nun.

Juana also studied astronomy, mathematics, and music. She wrote love poems, religious works, and even dramas for theater. Her writing often explored the role of women, the limits placed on them, and the power of knowledge.

Facing Silence and Censorship
Juana’s ideas made some people uncomfortable—especially church leaders. They believed a nun should remain humble and quiet, not write about love or philosophy. When she published a letter defending women’s right to education and intellectual life, she faced intense criticism.

Eventually, Juana was forced to stop writing. She sold her books and scientific tools. She signed a public statement promising to focus only on prayer and service. Some believe this was done under pressure; others think she chose silence as an act of protest.

A Legacy that Echoes Today
Juana Inés de la Cruz died in 1695 during a plague that spread through her convent. She was only 46 years old. But her voice has never truly been silenced. Her works continue to inspire readers across the world. In Mexico, she is celebrated as one of the first great writers of the Americas. Her face even appears on the 200-peso bill.

More than just a poet or a nun, Juana Inés de la Cruz represents the fight for knowledge and equality. At a time when women had few rights, she showed that the mind of a woman could be just as brilliant—and perhaps even more daring—than that of any man.

Extensive Listening

Level 1 Audio