Maria Rosa Menocal

María Rosa Menocal (April 9, 1953 – October 15, 2012) was a Cuban-born scholar of medieval culture and history who served as Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale University. She specialized in the literary traditions of the Middle Ages and the interaction of religious and cultural groups in medieval Spain, authoring works such as Shards of Love and The Ornament of the World. Menocal died of melanoma on October 15, 2012, after a three-year battle with the disease.