The Souls of Purgatory

About this book

The life of the black religious servant Ursula de Jesús (1604-1666) has remained one of the best-kept historical secrets of the New World. This English language translation of the diary she began in 1650 allows us to hear the voice of the former slave turned spiritualist. Born into slavery in Lima, Peru, Ursula entered a convent at the age of thirteen to serve a nun, and spent the next twenty-eight years as one of hundreds of slaves whose exhausting daily work afforded little time to contemplate religious matters. After surviving a potentially fatal accident, she chose a spiritual path, though remained a slave until one of the nuns purchased her freedom. Ursula began to see visions and communicate more frequently with God. Dead souls eager to diminish their stay in Purgatory approached her, and it was then that she assumed the role of intercessor on their behalf. Ursula's diary conveys the innuendos of convent life, but above all it offers a direct experience of baroque Catholic spirituality from the perspective of a woman of color. Nancy E. van Deusen selected approximately fifty pages from Ursula's diary to appear here as Ursula wrote them, in Spanish. Van Deusen's introduction situates Ursula's text within the milieu of medieval and early modern female spirituality, addresses the complexities of racial inequality, and explores the power of the written word. ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS Nancy E. van Deusen is professor of history at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Lyman L. Johnson is professor of history at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. He is also the general editor for UNM Press's Dialogos series. ACCLAIM "This book is fascinating...a valuable asset to colonial Latin American Literature." -- Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies "This book offers fascinating insight into the Roman Catholic Church's role in the 17th-century slave trade and its harsh views of race and gender. As for de Jesús, she comes across as a woman of great wisdom and deep spirit who never turned bitter but who embraced the power of a greater humanity through an unshakeable faith. Her story should be read and savored." -- New York Resident "[The Souls of Purgatory] is a significant contribution to scholarship, and the editor has managed to make Ursula accessible to a wide and no doubt appreciative readership." -- Sixteenth Century Journal "Van Deusen's work has brought to light a fascinating historical character whose autobiographical writings impact upon many different areas of academic research." -- H-Net Reviews