Sor Juana de la Cruz, biznieta de Hernán Cortés y fundadora del 1er convento jerónimo de México

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, connects perfectly the doted line with Cortés! Her family line actually bridges right back to the original Spanish conquistadors, including a direct connection to the family of Hernán Cortés.

Sor Juana (born Juana Inés de Asbaje y Ramírez de Santillana) was one of the greatest writers and intellectuals of the Spanish Baroque period.

 

Here is how how the family lineage connects to Hernán Cortés and how the locations fit into her story:

1. The Direct Link to Hernán Cortés

Sor Juana was born out of wedlock to Isabel Ramírez de Santillana and Pedro de Asbaje. Through her mother's prominent Criollo (Spanish descent born in the Americas) family, she was a direct descendant of Leonor Cortés Moctezuma.

Leonor was the daughter of Hernán Cortés and Isabel Moctezuma (the daughter of the Aztec Emperor Moctezuma II). This means Sor Juana carried the bloodlines of both the leader of the Spanish conquest and the Aztec royal family.

2. The San Andrés / San Miguel Connection

The "San Andreas" in your first question likely refers to the cluster of villages where Sor Juana grew up southeast of Mexico City near the volcanoes.

• She was born in San Miguel Nepantla.

• She spent her childhood living with her grandfather at his hacienda (estate) in nearby San Vicente Chicoloapan and Panoaya.

The area sits right next to the historic municipality of San Andrés Chalchicomula and other regional towns bearing "San Andrés," which heavily feature in the genealogical records of the region's early Spanish land-grant families.

3. "De La Cruz"

The "De La Cruz" in her name was not a family surname from birth. It was her religious name. When she joined the Hieronymite convent in 1669 to pursue her studies rather than marry, she took the name Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (Sister Juana Inés of the Cross).

Summary of her family tree:

• Great-Great-Grandparents: Hernán Cortés & Isabel Moctezuma

• Grandfather: Pedro Ramírez de Santillana (owner of the Panoaya estate)

• Mother: Isabel Ramírez

• Subject: Juana Inés (Sor Juana)