Education Toribio Alfonso de Mogrovejo was born 16 November 1538 in
Mayorga in the
Valladolid province of
Habsburg Spain. He was named after
Turibius of Astorga. His second visitation took four years, but the third was shorter. Turibius organised for the building of roads and schools as well as chapels and hospitals. He ensured these could be staffed from nearby convents, also instituted by him. Turibius' concern for the very poorest (see next section) extended also to destitute Spanish. Their seeking assistance was constrained by the colony's social norms. Succour from Turibius arrived nevertheless, often without the source coming to light.
Indigenous people The start of Turibius' episcopate almost coincided with the end of eleven years under the viceroyalty of
Francisco de Toledo, the fifth viceroy. His administration had had a negative impact on the indigenous peoples of Peru, the cost of his bringing political and economic order that had him dubbed as the "best of Peru's viceroys". In Lima, remote from the vast hinterland, was an exploitative society, derived from the
encomienda tradition. Mine operators and merchant princes lived an opulent lifestyle, thriving on the enforced labour of the indigenous people. Toledo had taken advantage of the pre-existing practice of forced labour under the
mit'a of the
Inca Empire, and had expanded it. Called "reductions", Toledo's policy had forcibly relocated many of the indigenous peoples into new settlements, to gather labour to work in mines and other Spanish enterprises, to collect tributes and taxes, and to enforce their
Christianisation. Against this, Turibius was seen as a champion of the rights of the natives. The Spanish had been attracted from their homeland to make their fortunes. They were left with no effective constraint on their using almost any means in their power. Turibius often came across shocking examples of tyranny, maltreatment and cynical indifference to Christian precepts of morality. Redress for abuses by officials was nigh-on impossible. The distance from Spain was insuperable, and communication within the viceroyalty was via sparse roads in a vast territory. He learned the local dialects and fought for rights and liberties, confronting the viceroy's power and control. He was even persecuted by the civil authorities but his patient persistence prevailed. Eventually Turibius was rewarded with some success. The eighth viceroyal,
García Hurtado de Mendoza made efforts to "crack down on the oppression of the indigenous population at the hands of the Spanish colonizers."
Clerical formation Partly because of a dearth of good priests, there were among the indigenous people enormous numbers who were baptised but who knew little of the Christian religion. Realising that some clerical behaviour had grown too scandalous to countenance, Mogrovejo sought reformation of priests under his charge. Some came to resent this, though support and assistance was forthcoming from the viceroy. In 1591 he founded the first seminary in the Western Hemisphere. He insisted that learning indigenous languages was a prerequisite. in
Zaña in a critical condition. He pulled himself up to receive the
Viaticum, and died shortly thereafter at 3:30 pm on 23 March 1606 (
Holy Thursday). His final words were those of
Jesus Christ on the cross, as in Luke 23:46: "Lord, into Your hands I commit my spirit" His remains were interred in the archdiocesan cathedral in Lima. ==Sainthood==