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Roque González de Santa Cruz

Type Figure Region South America Time 1576–1628 Also known as Saint Roque González

Roque González de Santa Cruz (1576–1628), a Spanish-born Jesuit from Paraguay, was a pioneer of Indian mission settlements (reducciones) and was mart…

Timeline

  1. 1609–1615Asunción · AsunciónOrdained in 1609, he joined the Jesuits, completed theological training in Asunción, and from the 1610s participated in Paraguay's mission settlement program, learning Guaraní and preparing to venture inland.
  2. 1615–1628Yaguaru · MisionesIn 1615 he founded the Yaguaru mission settlement on the Paraguay-Argentina border, organizing Guaraní settlement, farming, and conversion; he later expanded to Itá and other settlements, becoming a key founder of the Jesuit mission system in the Río de la Plata region.
  3. 1628Yaguaru · MisionesOn 15 November 1628, at a newly founded mission settlement, he was attacked by Caaguazú warriors and martyred together with Juan del Castillo; he was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1988.

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