On Friday we went to a concert of Sephardic music and music from the viceregal era in the Ex-Convento de San Jerónimo, founded in 1585. This is the convent where the poet and nun Sor Juana (1651-1695),one of Mexico's great icons, lived and died. In an age when most women did not learn to read, she taught herself Latin in a matter of weeks, accumulated a large library, and had scientific instruments. When her unorthodox views on women's rights to education and dissent ran afoul of the church, she was forced to stop writing, sell all her books, and live in isolation. She was extraordinary for any age, especially the 17th century.
The Ex-Convento is now the home of the Universidad del Claustro de Sor Juana, a school that emphasizes the arts and humanities. The concert was given in the context of Día de Muertos, and a very beautiful ofrenda (altar/tribute)to Sor Juana was still in place. A skeleton figure of Sor Juana was by the entrance. Ten identical figures stood in a semicircular background on the stage, with garlands of cempasuchl(yellow, aromatic flower for Muertos) hanging over them.
In the next room, surrounding her tomb, was a tribute done in aserrín (colored sawdust); the aserrín artwork also edged the room. As we entered the auditorium (formerly a chapel), we saw cempasuchl petals strewn along the floor. An ancient, traditional belief holds that the aromas of cempasuchl and incense, the flickering flames of candles, and favorite foods and memorabilia of the deceased will guide their spirits back home. This belief pre-dates Christianity, but it melded with All Souls' Day and is now celebrated on November 1 and 2. A photo of the deceased is usually placed on the ofrenda; the portrait of Sor Juana hung on the back wall of the stage. If her spirit was there, she surely enjoyed the tribute and the music.
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