Alonzo de Barcena

Father Alonso de Barzana dedicated nearly thirty years of his life to the evangelization of the indigenous populations of South America, traveling thousands of kilometers across the current territories of Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Paraguay.

From the eight-month sea voyage, he distinguished himself by his exceptional linguistic faculties by learning the rudiments of Quechua. Upon his arrival in Lima, he immediately began his ministry among the indigenous people living in the outskirts of the city. In 1571, he was sent to the college of Cusco. It was there that he was entrusted with the difficult mission of catechizing and spiritually accompanying the last Inca sovereign, Túpac Amaru, before his execution by the Spanish authorities under the government of Viceroy Francisco de Toledo.

In 1574, he settled in Potosí (Bolivia) and extended his apostolic action to the Lake Titicaca region (Peru) as well as to La Paz (Bolivia). He actively participated in the founding of the famous mission of Juli in 1577, which would serve as a model for future Jesuit reductions. Later, he was sent to the province of Tucumán (Argentina) and to Paraguay, where he evangelized numerous tribes, notably the Tobas, the Mocobíes, the Diaguitas, and the Chiriguanos.

Nicknamed by his contemporaries the "Francis Xavier of the West Indies," Father Barzana based his missionary method on three pillars: integrity of morals, solidity of doctrine, and absolute mastery of local languages. He managed to master more than a dozen indigenous languages and dialects (including Quechua, Aymara, Puquina, Chiriguano, Tonocoté, and Kakán). He wrote grammars, dictionaries, and catechisms in these languages to facilitate the work of future missionaries. He also collaborated on the translation into Quechua and Aymara of the catechism of José de Acosta, promulgated during the Third Provincial Council of Lima (1582-1583).

Exhausted by his incessant apostolic labors and long journeys on foot, Father Barzana was struck by paralysis on December 20, 1596. In January 1597, his provincial superior ordered him to return to Lima to receive appropriate care. However, his declining health did not allow him to complete the journey: after a stop in Salta, he passed away in Cusco on December 31, 1597.

His reputation for holiness and heroic dedication to the indigenous populations spread immediately after his death. An initial beatification process was initiated in the 17th century, but the documents were largely lost or forgotten following the expulsion of the Jesuits from Spain and its colonies in the 18th century.

Interest in his cause was revived in the 21st century, notably under the impetus of Pope Francis, who expressed his admiration for this pioneer of evangelization in Latin America. The diocesan inquiry into his reputation for holiness and virtues was officially opened in Cusco on November 23, 2016, and closed on December 22 of the same year. The legal validity of this inquiry was recognized by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on March 16, 2017.

On December 18, 2017, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Alonso de Barzana, thereby conferring upon him the title of Venerable of the Catholic Church. For his beatification to be pronounced, the official recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints is required.

The spirituality of Alonso de Barzana is deeply marked by the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, combining an intense contemplative life with tireless missionary action. His Eucharistic and Marian devotion sustained his pastoral zeal amidst privations and physical dangers. His legacy lies primarily in his respectful approach to indigenous cultures. By refusing to impose the faith through coercion and by striving to intimately understand the thought of the natives through the rigorous study of their languages, he was a precursor to the inculturation of the Gospel. His linguistic works, although partially lost, laid the foundations for the philology and lexicography of the Amerindian languages of the Southern Cone.