Juan de Espinosa Medrano

Juan de Espinosa Medrano (Calcauso, Apurimac, 1630? – Cuzco, 1688), known in history as ''Lunarejo'' (or "The Spotty-Faced"), was an Indigenous and noble cleric, and sacred preacher. He was a professor, theologian, archdeacon, and polymath from the Viceroyalty of Peru. He is widely regarded as the first great Quechua writer, and recognized as the most prominent figure of the Literary Baroque of Peru and among the most important intellectuals of Colonial Spanish America—alongside New Spain's writers Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora.

A descendant of the noble House of Medrano through his mother and the House of Espinosa through his father, his portrait prominently displays a coat of arms combining both lineages, symbolizing his dual heritage as a representative of Indigenous nobility and a voice of cultural sovereignty in Spanish America. Juan de Espinosa Medrano is the author of the most famous literary apologetic work of 17th-century Latin America: ''Apologético en favor de Don Luis de Góngora'' (1662), dedicated to Luis Méndez de Haro, Count-Duke of Olivares. The dedication reflects the broader Medrano tradition of courtly and political thought, notably shared by his relative Diego Fernández de Medrano, chaplain to the Count-Duke of Olivares.

Juan de Espinosa Medrano also wrote autos sacramentales in Quechua — ''El robo de Proserpina and Sueño de Endimión'' (c. 1650), and ''El hijo pródigo'' (c. 1657); comedies in Spanish — of which only the biblical play ''Amar su propia muerte'' (c. 1650) is preserved; panegyric sermons — compiled after his death in a volume titled ''La Novena Maravilla'' (1695); and a course in Latin on Thomistic philosophy — ''Philosophia Thomistica'' (1688) published in Rome.

Espinosa Medrano, known by the nickname ''El Lunarejo'', studied in Cusco from a young age and quickly demonstrated exceptional talent in languages and music. He mastered Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, and is considered the first major writer in the Quechua language, composing theatrical works, poetry, and even a translation of Virgil into Quechua. He went on to hold university chairs in both Arts and Theology and served as archdeacon of the Cathedral of Cuzco. Provided by Wikipedia