Where was Maria Sibylla Merian born?
Maria Sibylla Merian
Maria Sibylla Merian (2 April 1647–13 January 1717[1]) was a German-born naturalist and scientific illustrator, a descendant of the Frankfurt branch of the Swiss Merian family. Merian was one of the first naturalists to observe insects directly.
Madre María Rosa
Not much is known about María. She was born in Madrid on January 14, 1660. Her parents were Joseph de Leon y Ayala and Estefania Muñoz. Her given name was Josepha de Leon y Ayala but changed it to Maria Rosa when she became a nun. This was a customary practice. She entered the Capuchin covenant at the age of seventeen in 1677. She was appointed first mother abbess of the new convent to be founded in Lima. Because of this, she left Spain never to return again in 1712 with four other founding nuns. She documented her whole journey almost day by day to leave her account for both her original convent back in Madrid and the new one in Lima. One month before her death, she stepped down from her position and her co-founder, María Gertrudis was elected abbess. She passed away August 14, 1716 at the age of fifty-six.