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Summary |
| One day a señora nun came to the infirmary. She sat on a bed and began talking about acclaim and how people were praising the hair-brained ones or saints. | One day a high-ranking nun visited and talked about how some people are praised by others. |
| She spoke in such a way that I knew some of what she said was directed toward me. I kept my face lowered and carried on with the work I was doing. I am bad. It does not seem right that people of God should entertain themselves with insignificant things. | I could tell that she was talking about me. I did not say anything and kept working. I don’t think religious people should gossip. |
| As for the criticism she hurled at me: Am I so different from what they think? If they put mountains of gold in front of me, or all the treasure in the world, I would not pay the least attention because of God’s great love. | As for what she said: are the gossipers wrong? If I was offered all the treasure in the world, I would not care because I only care about the love of God. |
| I would rather the nuns beat me than do me favors when I chance upon them. I would rather the earth swallow me than have them see or speak to me. Even if the queen were to call me, I would not go; it would mean less to me than piles of rubbish. I, the worst of all. | I would rather have the nuns hit me than give me special treatment. I would rather disappear than have them talk about me. Even if the queen wanted to speak to me, I would not go. It would mean nothing to me. Me, the lowest person in society. |
| If I wanted acclaim, I know how to position myself, how to gain it, and get what I want, but God’s love for me meant that I left all that behind for Him. | If I wanted to be famous, I know how to do it. But I only care about God’s love. I left all the rest behind for God. |
Úrsula de Jesús, Vida de la Hermana Ursula, 1600s. Via the publication The Souls of Purgatory: The Spiritual Diary of a Seventeenth Century Afro-Peruvian Mystic, Ursula de Jesus. Translated and edited by Nancy E. van Deusen (University of New Mexico Press, 2004).
Portrait of Úrsula de Jesús
José de la Cruz; photo by Samantha Rijkers, Portrait of Úrsula de Jesús.
Background
Úrsula de Jesús was born into slavery in Lima, Peru in 1604. Not much is known about Úrsula’s family, but historians believe that either her mother or earlier ancestors were brought to Peru from Africa by the Spanish. Úrsula’s mother was enslaved by a wealthy Spanish colonial family. When she was eight years old, Úrsula was sent to work in the home of Luisa Melgarejo Sotomayor, a famous mystic. She was exposed to Catholicism and mysticism. After four years, she was sent to serve Inés del Pulgar, the sixteen-year-old niece of her mother’s enslaver. Ines was a novice in the Santa Clara convent. Úrsula lived with Ines in the convent to attend to her needs.
Over one hundred Afro-Peruvian enslaved women served in the convent of Santa Clara. Úrsula did not express much interest in Catholicism for the first twenty years of her time in the convent. Then she survived a serious accident, and concluded that God saved her. She began to devote more time to religion. She also decided to become a healer. In 1645 one of the nuns in the convent, impressed by Úrsula’s devotion to religion, purchased her freedom. After living outside the convent for less than a year, Úrsula decided to return and devote her life to God. She became a donada, a woman who “donated” herself to the convent. She served the convent by performing household tasks. She saw this as a service to God. Úrsula lived in the Santa Clara convent for the remaining twenty-one years of her life. When she died in 1666 the nuns deeply mourned her death. Several high-ranking Spanish colonists attended her funeral. She was buried beneath the convent’s chapel, an honor reserved for those most devoted to religion.
About the Document
Úrsula kept a journal when she returned to the convent of Santa Clara as a donada. Her journal is precious because it is one of few accounts of life in the Spanish colonies written by a person of color. The diary is written in the first person, but it is likely that Úrsula did not know how to read or write. In one entry, she specifically mentions another nun who helped her write the journal.
In this excerpt, Úrsula addresses the complicated relationship she had with the nuns. As a formerly enslaved Afro-Peruvian donada, Úrsula worked alongside enslaved women, but had free time she could devote to religious observances. Most of the nuns in the convent were white women from the upper classes, so Úrsula’s unique position might have caused some discomfort or resentment that led to gossip about her.
The image is a reproduction of a painting of Úrsula that hangs in the convent of Santa Clara in Lima, Peru. It is a rare portrait of an Afro-Peruvian woman, and its existence in the convent highlights the respect she earned within the religious community. Úrsula holds a cane, a sign of older age. While she never learned to read or write, she is also holding a book and multiple religious books are in the background, illustrating her devotion to her faith.
Vocabulary
- Catholicism: A Christian religion that is led by the pope in Rome.
- convent: The home of a community of nuns.
- donada: Spanish term for a religious servant who had been “donated” to a convent to serve God or the community.
- mystic: A person who practices mysticism.
- mysticism: A religious practice rooted in meditation and prayer.
- novice: A person preparing to become a nun.
Discussion Questions
- How does Úrsula de Jesús describe her relationship with the nuns in the convent?
- How did Úrsula de Jesús’s race shape her life in colonial Lima?
- Why is Úrsula de Jesús’s journal a valuable historical source?
Suggested Activities
- APUSH Connection: 2.4 Transatlantic Trade
- Include this document in a lesson about daily life in the colonies. This resource highlights the experiences of enslaved women and the complicated role of race in religious communities.
- Pair this resource with Petition for Freedom to consider the experiences of enslaved women in convents. How was each woman able to gain her freedom? What challenges did they face after being granted their freedom?
- Consider the experiences of enslaved women in the Spanish colonies by teaching this resource alongside The Middle Passage and Life Story: Juana, la Virreina de Matudere.
- For a larger lesson on the role of the Catholic Church in women’s lives in the Spanish colonies, combine this resource with the following:
Themes
POWER AND POLITICS
