When the name Francisca Infante is mentioned; the picture conjured up is the picture of a beautiful and statuesque young lady holding the head of the Virgin Mary and wearing a tiara. In the beginning, this image was used by the Spaniards as a crowning glory for their Queen Isabella. However, later on this image of Infante lost its religious connotations and it was used more romantically. It seems that the image gained more acceptance in the contemporary world when supermodels such as Victoria Secret’s Anna Kournikova and Kate Moss sporting a similar hairstyle made it popular. Now, even women belonging to different religions are sporting this style, including converts from Islam to Judaism, Christians, and even Hinduism.
Francisca was born to parents who were priests and it is said that she was a very good student during her years at school. She was an accomplished writer who also did well in her academics and she was particularly gifted in Spanish. Her path in life therefore was marked with religious devotion and it is therefore not surprising that she ended up becoming a friar.
As a young woman, she travelled to the Islamic part of Spain where the need for learning languages was high. At the time, this was one of the most lucrative industries in the region and she excelled in this career. However, while making great money, she also enjoyed a very interesting and varied social life. In fact, some historians believe that she may have been one of the first female travellers to visit Egypt and as such would have had firsthand knowledge of the luxuries of the Egyptian culture.