Focusing on the allegorical one-act plays of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, this exploration highlights the often-overlooked significance of her autos sacramentales. By analyzing these works as a cohesive collection rather than in isolation, the study uncovers their deeper meanings and contextual relevance. This approach sheds light on the poet's intricate commentary on the Eucharist and enhances understanding of her contributions to literature and societal critique in the seventeenth century.
The seventeenth-century Mexican poet, playwright and nun, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, is best known for her secular works, most notably her damning indictment of male double standards, Hombres necios (Stupid Men). However, her autos sacramentales (allegorical one-act plays on the Eucharist) have received little attention, and have only been discussed individually and out of sequence. By examining them as a collection, in their original order, their meaning and importance are revealed. The autos combine Christian and classical ‘pagan’ imagery from the ‘Old World’ with the conquest and conversion of the ‘New World’. As the plays progress, the mystery of Christ’s ‘greatest gi ft’ to mankind is deciphered and is mirrored in Spain’s gi ft of the True Faith to the indigenous Mexicans. Sor Juana’s own image is also situated within this baroque landscape: presented as a triumph of Spanish imperialism, an exotic muse between two worlds.