Early life Garrucho was born on March 27, 1712, in
Sardinia, and entered the Society of Jesus on January 6, 1731. He left Sardinia for Spain on October 23, 1740, and left Spain for the Americas in February 1744. His ship, the
San Francisco, was boarded by
English privateers, who
marooned the Jesuit passengers near
Puerto del Príncipe. The Jesuits received a warm welcome at the port, and remained there for about a month before proceeding to
Havana and thence to
Mexico City. Garrucho made his solemn vows on December 10, 1748, at
Mission Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Arizpe. Work began late that summer. In the fall, Garrucho hosted
Luis Oacpicagigua and his warriors, visiting the mission on their way to assist the Spanish against Apache forces. Two months later, on November 21, foreman Juan de Figueroa arrived from
Presidio San Ignacio de Tubac with news of the Pima Revolt, led by Oacpicagigua. The natives fled the mission, and Garrucho followed. He stopped at
Mission Santa María Suamca, where he heard de la Cruz's
confession, before taking refuge at San Felipe. He subsequently relocated to Mission San Miguel Arcángel de Oposura. The revolt was suppressed; Oacpicagigua's peace conditions included a demand that Garrucho return the Pima servants he had taken with him to Oposura. In the subsequent Spanish investigation,
Diego Ortiz Parrilla blamed the Jesuits, especially Garrucho and his foreman. Garrucho was accused of kidnapping Pima children and of beating natives without cause. Jesuit
Joseph de Utrera conducted an internal investigation, during which he questioned local
gentes de razón, military figures, and natives, including the native governors of several missions. Ignacio, native governor of Guevavi, testified that Garrucho had slapped the natives and ordered them whipped, and that Ignacio's own father had died of lingering injuries after Garrucho beat him with a stick. Juanico, native governor of
Mission San Ignacio de Sonoitac, testified that Garrucho had seized land belonging to him and a group of other Pima. Garrucho, in his own defense, argued that Oacpicagigua had begun fomenting rebellion well before any of the incidents involving Garrucho. The investigations continued for eight years, but were ultimately inconclusive. On June 28, 1759, the Spanish government recommended that the case be closed.
Elisabeth Farnese, on behalf of
Charles III of Spain, signed a
cédula closing it on September 27 of that year.
Later life Garrucho remained at Oposura for fifteen years, during part of which time he served as
Father Visitor of
Sonora. By 1765, he had learned to speak
Ópata, the local language. He gained a reputation among his Spanish peers for his pride and for the luxurious table he set. In July 1767, Spanish soldiers arrived to carry out the orders of Charles III by
expelling the Jesuits from Mexico. Along with about fifty other Jesuits Garrucho was escorted to a church in Mátape, near
Hermosillo. From there, the soldiers took them to
Guaymas, across the
Gulf of Mexico, through
Tepic, and to
Guadalajara. Many of the Jesuits died on the way, but a few, including Garrucho, survived to reach
Cádiz in Spain. From Cádiz, most of the Jesuits were sent to a hospice in
El Puerto de Santa María, but Garrucho was taken to
Madrid and imprisoned there. He was later confined in a
Hieronymite monastery; he remained even after the authorities told him he was free to go, and ultimately died there in 1785. == References ==