Antonio Ruiz De Montoya, Sj

Place: Lima

Born: 1585

Death: 1652

Biography:

Antonio Ruiz de Montoya, SJ was a Jesuit priest and missionary in the Paraguayan Reductions. He was born in Lima, Peru, on 13 June 1585 and entered the Society of Jesus on 1 November 1606. In the same year, he accompanied Diego Torres, the first provincial of Paraguay, to this mission. He is known for founding the Reductions of Guayra and bringing a number of tribal groups into the Catholic Church. He is said to have personally baptized 100,000 Indians. He served as the head of the missions from 1620 and added thirteen further 'reductions' to the existing ones. He is also known for his work 'Guarani Grammar'. He died on 11 April 1652.