Luisa Carvajal y Mendoza

During Carvajal's time with her uncle Francisco Hurtado, penitential exercises became a habitual practice for Carvajal. Although in modern times, these penitential practices can appear to be a form of physical abuse and torture, it is important to realize that this mode of devotion was prominent during the 16th century in Spain.[11][12] This form of penitence demonstrated one's devotion to God and the more one practiced this, the more the individual became empowered because they felt they were commemorating the death of Christ with their own bodies. Although women would punish themselves to mimic Christ's passion, in her adolescence her uncle ordered her punishment. These penitential practices influenced Carvajal in that later on in her life she would mortify her flesh as a symbol of meditating on Christ's Passion.[13][14] Here is vivid description by Carvajal remembering her time in her uncle's household:

Later my uncle found another person among the same women of the household to serve in this, and at times he would order one [to discipline me], at times the other. And so, he would order at times that they lead me unclothed and barefoot, with my feet on the extremely cold floor, with a cap on my head that only held my hair, and a towel tied to my waist, a rope at my neck, which sometimes was made of hair bristles and others of hemp, and my hands tied with it, from one room to another, like an evil-doer, until arriving at the last small oratory that was beyond. It was a closed room and removed from the rest of the house and in a very secret part, and in front of me, pulling lightly by the rope,went one of the servile people of Our Lord of whom I have spoken, and at times she uttered words of humiliation and shame.[4][12][11]

Between 1593 and 1598 Carvajal took a series of religious vows. These included vows of poverty, chastity, obedience and spiritual perfection.[4]

Although she grew up in an elite and aristocratic home, she refused these privileges and rather lived a humble life centered on spirituality. After the death of her uncle in 1592, Carvajal engaged in legal battle with her brother over their inheritance. Carvajal obtained her dowry and controversially decided to give the money to Jesuit priests. Carvajal rejected her nobility and began to distance herself from her family members as she began to abandon her royal customs.[15] Family members often criticized and rejected Carvajal's behavior of associating herself with the poor.[16][4] Carvajal became engaged in social reversals going as far as putting herself under the obedience of other women, cooking, fasting and even begging for food.[4]

Circa the age of seventeen, Carvajal's letters show stirrings of martyrdom in her life.[17] In 1598 she would take a formal vow of martyrdom.[18] She felt becoming a martyr served a double purpose. First to forgive the individual of their sins and second to die for Christ.[14] In 1601, she was living in Valladolid, a region of Spain known for the popularity of active religious women,[19] and lived near a Jesuit College. She was able to meet and read some of the works written by Jesuit priest, further fueling her cause of martyrdom and proselytization.[7] As a result of this vow she would be granted permission to journey to England where she joined the Catholic underground.[20][19] Carvajal writes about the importance of martyrdom:[21]

Records indicate that the majority of Carvaja's letters and conversations were with a woman who went by the religious name of Magdalena de San Jeronimo, although letters show her name affiliated with that of a nun such as monja or sor (in Spanish),[26] it is believed that she was not involved in a religious order.[27] Their conversations largely dealt with the political situation of Catholics in England and Spain.[28] Although Carvajal and San Jeronimo had been great correspondents, as hostility grew against Catholics in England, San Jeronimo began to become skeptical of Carvajal's stay in England and pleaded her to return to Spain, which would create tension between the two. In one of her letters, Carvajal lists the reasons as to why she wants to stay in England even though San Jeronimo and others urge her to come back:

And as to my return , your letters and your good company are very tempting, but I dare not leave without entrusting it more to Our Lord, for I fear defying his will, and do not yet find or base any good reason in his will for my return as I did for my departure" (Letter 46, Epistolario y Poesias, 165).[29]

San Jeronimo would stop writing to Carvajal in 1607, thus ending their friendship. What we know of San Jeronimo after her friendship with Carvajal was that she started a Galera, or a female prison which was built for female delinquents and prostitutes.[30] Its goal was to reform the lives of these women so that they could marry or join a religious community upon release.[31]

In addition, Carvajal, and five other women lived together which would be named the Society of the Sovereign Virgin Mary our Lady. Women in this society would partake in a life of fervent prayer and "were committed to violent and fortunate death for the confession of the holy Catholic faith".[32] They were referred to as "Soldier maidens".[32] Carvajal's society is referred to as a quasi-monastic institution[33] in that they had similarities convents and nuns for example in women's modest dressing but differed in that women from convents often were forced by their families to enter and were not necessarily called to serve.[34] The women Carvajal associated herself with, however, wanted to die for Christ. However, Anglicans such as George Abbot, the Archbishop of Canterbury would associate her society to monasticism.[35] which was one of the reasons for her second imprisonment in 1613.

Carvajal's first imprisonment occurred in June 1608. While in Cheapside, she began proselytizing about the virtues of Catholicism in great length.[36] On a street she began arguing with citizens defending Catholicism as the true religion. This led to the arrest of her and two of her friends. Carvajal would remain jailed for four days. She was able to gain release with the help of the Spanish ambassador Pedro de Zuñiga, whom she settled with at the Spanish embassy upon her arrival to England,[37] however, Zuñiga begged her to leave London and return to Spain to which she declined.[38]

Carvajal's second imprisonment would occur on October 28, 1613, when sheriffs were ordered by George Abbot, the Archbishop of Canterbury to break into her home and arrest her because she was allegedly planning on opening a convent,[39] which went against English laws, as women were not allowed to gather together for religious purposes.[40] This created a diplomatic conflict, as the King wanted to maintain peace with Spain. Once again, the Spanish Ambassador, this time Diego Sarmiento de Acuña, managed to set her free after three days of imprisonment. This time, however, she was forced to leave England. Sarmiento obtained her custody and did not deport her immediately to Spain; she stayed at the Spanish Embassy.[41] Shortly after her release from prison, Carvajal would pass away from bronchial illness.

Below is one of Carvajal's poem titled Spiritual Sonnet (18) which illustrates through analogy the process of allowing the word of God to enter one's life.[48]