Alfonso de la Cerda was born in Caceres, Spain and moved to the United States to make a living but - discouraged by the morality of his fellow migrants - he left and entered the convent of San Rosario in Lima where he was ordained a priest in the Order of Preachers in 1545.[3] He was elected prior of the convents of Porto Bello, Arequipa, and Lima, and then preacher-general of Peru, and finally provincial of Peru[3] where he established a requirement that all missionaries have some knowledge of Indian languages.[3] In 1573, he was sent to Rome to represent the interests of the Dominicans of Peru.[3] On January 13, 1578, he was appointed by the King of Spain and confirmed by Pope Gregory XIII as Bishop of Comayagua.[1][2] On November 6, 1587, he was appointed by the King of Spain and confirmed by Pope Sixtus V as Bishop of La Plata o Charcas.[1][2] In 1588, he founded a convent of his order in Chuquisaca.[3] He served as Bishop La Plata o Charcas until his death on June 25, 1592, in Chuquisaca.[1][2]
