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He Was Saint Juan Diego’s Interpreter Before Zumárraga and Rector of Mexico’s First University: The Story of a Priest Whose Cause for Sainthood Is Under Investigation
Father Rubén Rodríguez Balderas revealed new details to Press Crux about the historical research into Juan González y García, a little-known figure from the early Church in New Spain who gave up prestigious positions to dedicate himself to evangelizing Indigenous communities.
CHURCH HISTORY | MEXICO | EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW — PART 2
Ana Paula Morales (Poli)
11/4/20264 min read
MEXICO CITY.— In many depictions of the encounter between Saint Juan Diego and Mexico’s first bishop, Friar Juan de Zumárraga, a young man dressed in black appears to play a secondary role. Yet behind that figure lies the story of one of the lesser-known individuals from the early years of evangelization: Juan González y García, a 16th-century priest whose reputation for holiness is the subject of an ecclesiastical investigation.
Father Rubén Rodríguez Balderas, an Opus Dei priest, historian, and collaborator in several canonization causes in Mexico, explained in an exclusive interview with Press Crux that efforts have been made in recent years to gather the documentation necessary to advance the study of González’s life.
“Hardly anyone knows who he is,” the priest lamented, emphasizing that González’s story deserves an important place in the historical memory of the Church in Mexico.
Saint Juan Diego’s Interpreter
According to the biography published by the Commission for the Causes of Saints of the Archdiocese of Mexico, Juan González y García was born in Extremadura, Spain, in 1510 and arrived in New Spain accompanied by his uncle, Ruy González.
The young man learned Nahuatl and developed a close relationship with Indigenous communities. According to Guadalupan historical tradition, he served as Saint Juan Diego’s interpreter before Zumárraga during the events of 1531.
“Between the two, there is a young man wearing a black cassock who is acting as an interpreter,” Father Rodríguez explained, describing artistic representations of the encounter.
González’s identity and participation form part of the historical reconstruction of the Guadalupan events and must be distinguished from facts supported by direct contemporary documentation.
His relationship with Mexico’s first bishop, however, did not end there. In 1534, Zumárraga ordained him a priest, and González later became his confessor and adviser.
A Priest Who Became University Rector
Juan González went on to hold important positions within the Church in New Spain. He served as a canon of Mexico City’s cathedral and assumed significant ecclesiastical responsibilities.
According to the archdiocesan biography, he also served as a university councilor and rector of the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico, founded in the 16th century.
But Father Rubén Rodríguez emphasized that the most revealing episode of his life was not his rise to these positions, but the decision he made when he had already achieved considerable recognition.
“At the height of his career, he gave all of that up to go and evangelize Indigenous peoples,” he recalled.
According to historical research, González relinquished his canonry and withdrew to the Hermitage of the Visitation, where he lived a life of penance. He also founded the Congregation of Saint Peter, dedicated to the spiritual care of diocesan priests.
His life was thus marked by two dimensions that do not always appear together in biographies of the earliest evangelizers: participation in the development of ecclesiastical institutions and direct pastoral service to local communities.
An Investigation Seeking to Move Forward in Rome
Father Rodríguez explained that recent efforts to collect and organize historical documentation have taken several years and that further progress was expected in the procedures involving the Holy See.
“All the documents have been prepared, and that has taken us a couple of years,” he said.
Juan González y García is already officially listed as a Servant of God in the Archdiocese of Mexico’s documentation. The institutional record consulted by Press Crux indicated that the case file had not yet reached Rome, so the recent steps described by the interviewee will need to be confirmed by the competent Church authorities.
The priest died in 1590 with a reputation for holiness, and according to the archdiocesan biography, his remains rest in Mexico City’s Metropolitan Cathedral.
For Father Rubén Rodríguez, recovering his story is not merely an academic undertaking. It is also an opportunity to introduce the public to a man who, after holding important positions in the Church, chose to dedicate the final years of his life to serving others.
In a country where millions of people recognize the image of Saint Juan Diego standing before Zumárraga, the story of the young man portrayed alongside them remains, five centuries later, a story waiting to be discovered.
This article is the second installment in a special Press Crux interview series with Father Rubén Rodríguez Balderas on canonization causes and the history of the Church in Mexico.
Depiction of Saint Juan Diego unfolding his tilma before Friar Juan de Zumárraga, revealing the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Historical tradition identifies the priest Juan González y García as an interpreter during the Guadalupan events of 1531. Image: Reproduced by Gaudium Press; original artist unidentified.
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Photo caption — Father Rubén Rodríguez speaks at a conference in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. Photo courtesy of Father Rubén Rodríguez.