Tadea de San Joaquín facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tadea de San Joaquín
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| Born | 1750 |
| Died | 1827 |
| Nationality | Chilean |
| Occupation | Carmelite nun, writer |
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Notable work
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Relación de la inundación que hizo el río Mapocho de la ciudad de Santiago de Chile, en el Monasterio de Carmelitas, Titular de San Rafael |
Sister (Spanish: Sor) Tadea de San Joaquín (around 1750–1827) was a Carmelite nun and a writer from Chile. She lived during the Colonial period, when Chile was a colony of Spain. She wrote a long poem, like a prayer, about a big flood that happened in 1783. Many people believe she was the first woman poet from Chile.
Contents
Her Life and Writings
Early Life and Becoming a Nun
Tadea García de la Huerta was born around 1750 in Santiago, Chile. She came from a well-known family. Her parents were Pedro García de la Huerta and María Ignacia Rosales. Her grandfather, Juan Rosales, was a lawyer who worked for the king's court.
In 1770, Tadea joined a new religious community called the Monasterio del Carmen de San Rafael. This is a special place where nuns live and pray. When she joined, she took a new name: Sister Tadea de San Joaquín.
The Great Flood and Her Famous Poem
In 1783, a terrible flood hit the city of Santiago. The Mapocho River overflowed its banks. The water rushed into the convent where Sister Tadea lived. The nuns had to quickly find safety.
Sister Tadea's spiritual advisor was away at the time. He encouraged her to write a poem about what happened. She wrote a very detailed poem called Relación de la inundación que hizo el río Mapocho de la ciudad de Santiago de Chile, en el Monasterio de Carmelitas, Titular de San Rafael.
Her poem describes how the nuns climbed to the church tower to escape the rising water. It tells about their rescue by three men, one of whom was Sister Tadea's own brother. These men were sent by Bishop Alday to help them. Finally, the poem describes how the nuns had to walk through water that was up to their waists to get to safety.
A Pioneer Poet
Sister Tadea's poem is very important. It is thought to be the first poem written by a Chilean woman. It was printed in Lima, Peru in 1784. The poem is 516 lines long and has a special rhythm called octosyllabic meter. This shows that she knew a lot about different styles of poetry, like Baroque and epic poetry (long poems about heroes or big events).
When the poem was first published, the author was not named. People didn't know who wrote it until 1850. That's when a historian named José Ignacio Eyzaguirre Portales found out that Sister Tadea was the author.
Sister Tadea continued to write poems throughout her life. She also served as the leader of her monastery three times. She passed away in 1827.
