Book for the hour of recreation

María de San José Salazar (1548-1603) took the veil as a Discalced ('barefoot') Carmelite nun in 1571, becoming one of Teresa of Avila's most important collaborators in religious reform and serving as prioress of the Seville and Lisbon convents.

Within the parameters of the strict Catholic Reformation in Spain, she fiercely defended women's rights to define their own spiritual experience and to teach, inspire, and lead other women in reforming their church.

María wrote this book as a defence of the Discalced practice of setting aside two hours each day for conversation, music, and the staging of religious plays.