María Néstora Téllez

Other names/titles:
Gender: F
Ethnic origin: Unknown

Biographical details

She was born on 26 February 1818, at San Juan del Río, Querétaro.
An eye infection left her blind at the age of one and she interpreted this as divine inspiration. Her father, Antonio Telléz, taught her catechism, grammar and arithmetic until his death when María was 9. Later her sister’s husband taught her Latin. She was in charge of the school of the Cofradía del Cordón de San Francisco, Querétaro, where she taught elemental classes of grammar and arithmetic to children free of charge. This was closed down in the Reforma, but she opened up a private college and branched out into geometry and geography among other subjects. In 1866 she was given the title “profesora” and decorated with the Cruz de San Carlos in recognition of her religious and technical knowledge. She was inspired by the Spanish mystics and San Francisco de Salas’s Práctica del Amor de Dios. She subtly promoted women’s rights although within strict class and religious limits. Staurofila, her religious novel of 780 pages was published in 1889. She died on 19 December 1890. (Domenella, 33-75.)

Life Events

Born	1818	She was born on 26 February 1818, San Juan del Río, Querétaro.
Died	1890	She died on 19 December 1890.

References

Domenella, Ana Rosa, and Pasternac, Nora, (1997), Las voces olvidadas: Antologia critica de narradoras mexicanas en el siglo XIX

Publications
There is no writing by this subject in the database.

Links
Resource id #23 (80)
Resource id #27 (12)
Resource id #31 (14)
Resource id #35 (7)
Resource id #39 (14)

Gendering Latin American Independence

School of Modern Languages and Cultures
Trent Building, University Park
Nottingham, NG7 2RD

telephone: +44 (0)115 951 5655
email: Catherine.davies@nottingham.ac.uk