Source: Photograph by WTL© (2009) on site at Panoayán.
Image: Here we see the interior of the hacienda's chapel.
Comments: Throughout Latin America, and, also in Spain and Portugal, it was customary for the great haciendas to have their own Catholic chapel and to staff it with the hacienda's own priest. Sor Juana experienced this particular religio-social institution. This room has been restored to the condition it was in before it fell into near ruins, and the furnishings are, for the most part, original or like the originals. Notice the architectural style with the stark white walls, the relatively simple archangel in the tabernacle above the very simple altar, which, by the way, has been moved forward from the back wall according to the change made in Catholic Churches during Vatican II (1962-1965). According to the competent tour guide during the professor-photographer's visit, Sor Juan repaired in secret to this chapel to teach herself how to read by devouring the books in her grandfather's library.
Humanities question: Taking into consideration that Sor Juana is considered Latin America's foremost writer and intellectual of the Baroque period, what do you think about the relationship between her life and works on the one hand and the style and atmosphere of this chapel on the other hand?