Alonzo de Barcena facts for kids

Alonso de Bárcena (sometimes called de Barzana) was a Spanish Jesuit missionary. He was also a talented linguist. The Roman Catholic Church considers him a candidate for sainthood. This means they are looking into making him a saint.

Life of Alonso de Bárcena

Alonso de Bárcena was born in 1528 in Baeza, a town in southern Spain. He became a Jesuit priest in 1565. Jesuits are members of a Catholic religious order. In 1569, he traveled to Paris.

Missionary Work in South America

In 1577, Alonso de Bárcena was sent to Juli. This town is located on the shores of Lake Titicaca in southern Peru. He helped start an important mission there.

Bárcena stayed in Central Bolivia for eleven years. Later, a leader of the Jesuits named Juan de Atienza sent him to Tucuman in Argentina. He worked with many different native tribes in Argentina and Paraguay.

His missionary work continued until 1593. After many years of hard work, his health became very weak. Alonso de Bárcena died in Cuzco, Peru, on January 15, 1598.

Writings and Languages

Alonso de Bárcena was known for his amazing language skills. People say he learned to speak eleven different Native American languages. He also wrote books about these languages.

These books included grammars, vocabularies, and catechisms.

• Grammars explain how a language works.
• Vocabularies are like dictionaries, listing words and their meanings.
• Catechisms are books of religious teachings.

Most of his original writings are probably still kept in archives in Lima, Peru. Only one of his letters was published. This letter was full of interesting details about the native people of Tucuman. It was published in 1885.

Bárcena also wrote a lot about the mysterious Cacan language. This language is now extinct, meaning no one speaks it anymore. Sadly, his writings about Cacan are lost. Because of this, we know very few words from the language today.

Path to Sainthood

In March 2016, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cusco began a formal process. They started looking into Alonso de Bárcena's life to see if he could become a saint. This process is called a "cause for sainthood."

On December 18, 2017, Pope Francis declared him "Venerable." This is an important step in becoming a saint. It means the Church recognizes that he lived a very holy life.

See also

In Spanish: Alonso de Bárcena para niños