circa the age of seventeen, carvajal's letters show stirrings of martyrdom in her life. in 1598 she would take a formal vow of martyrdom. she felt becoming a martyr served a double purpose. first to forgive the individual of their sins and second to die for christ. in 1601, she was living in valladolid, a region of spain known for the popularity of active religious women, 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.