The Souls of Purgatory: The Spiritual Diary of a Seventeenth Century Afro-Peruvian Mystic, Ursula de Jesús (review)

Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies 229 The Souk of Purgatory: The Spiritual Diary of a Seventeenth Century Afro-Peruvian Mystic, UrsuL· de Jesús University of New Mexico Press, 2004 Translated, Edited and with an Introduction by Nancy E. van Deusen Nancy E. van Deusehs study and translation of Ursula de Jesús's diary, a seventeenth century Afro-Peruvian mystic, provides a timely addition to the ever growing canon of literature written by religious women of colonial Latin America. In recent years there have been more and more publications dedicated to the study of colonial women and their writings, yet most of these have only provided short translations and excerpts of their works. With the exception of some full-scale translations skillfully rendered by scholars such as Amanda PoweU and Kathleen Myers, there still exists a great gap between the studies on these women and access to their original writings. This book is fascinating because not only does it provide valuable information on Ursula de Jesús (1604-1666), a Peruvian-born slave of African descent, but it also makes available a bihngual version of a large part of her spiritual diary Van Deusen's study is divided into three major sections. The first part is an introduction to Ursula de Jesús that adeptly paints a portrait of seventeenth-century Lima and the world that surrounded this Afro-Peruvian mystic. We learn that Ursula spent the first forty-two of her sixty-two years as a slave and that because of her potential as a gifted holy woman, her freedom was purchased in 1645 by a Franciscan nun ofthe Convent of Santa Clara in Lima. That same year Ursula professed as a donada, a convent servant who took simple vows. During approximately the last eleven years in the convent, it appears that Ursula dictated a fragmented diary to several of her fellow nuns, who served as her scribes. The introduction examines some of the main themes prevalent in these pages and provides valuable insight into the mindset of this Afro-Peruvian woman. Themes other than Ursula's life story include life in Lima, the Convent of Santa Clara, the conditions of the slave and servant class, female mysticism, perceptions of purgatory, and the mystic tradition of female intercession. Van Deusen reviews the lives of several medieval women, such as Cadierine of Sienna, who served as "Apostles ofthe Dead," traveling to purgatory to work as intercessors for souls seeking access into heaven. She also explains that these female role models shaped the pious mentality of many colonial religious women and provided a viable outlet for their own mystical journeys. Likewise, Ursula followed in their spiritual footsteps and became an intercessor for souls in purgatory. Van Deusen also believes that Ursula was very conscious of her skin color and that her work in purgatory equalized differences of race. For this reader, the highlight of this work is the translation contained in part two and the original text in part three. Although van Deusen warns the reader that many sections of the diary are somewhat fragmented—the original contains very little punctuation, there are multiple voices, it is difficult to grasp a sense of chronology, her verb tenses randomly change in the same sentences, etc.—the voice and the world of this unique Peruvian woman shine through. Ursula was obviously very conscious of racism and of her condition as a dark skinned woman in Lima. She also narrates the stories of her fellow servants and slaves who faced many of the same racial prejudices. Although her diary shares many of the same religious themes as her religious predecessors, it is very unique because we are treated to a rarely heard voice of a minority/servant woman. The Souk of Purgatory is a valuable asset to colonial Latin American Literature. AU types of scholars will find the introduction to this text weU researched, stimulating, and thought-provoking. The translation of the diary preserves the lively voice of the audior, while updating verb tenses and punctuation. The inclusion of segments of the original Spanish text is a very positive feature and those scholars who are interested in reading the original version will...