Pedro was born into a poor family on Tenerife in the Canary Islands in 1626. He worked as a shepherd, and then, at age 24, left his home to become a missionary in Japan.
The route first took him to Cuba and then, four years later, he arrived in Guatemala. Pedro enrolled in a Jesuit college there but the studies proved too difficult for him. His leaving school ended his dream of ever going to Japan as a missionary.
In 1655, he joined the Secular Franciscan Order and spent the rest of his life in Guatemala. He rented a house and began teaching catechism to poor children, as well as how to read and write. In 1658, benefactors helped him turn the home into a hospital. Pedro also visited prisoners, built chapels, and encouraged people to pray.
Pedro died April 25, 1667. He was canonized on July 30, 2002, as Central America's first saint, and the first saint to have worked and died in Guatemala.
His feast day is April 18.
- Little Blue Book, Diocese of Saginaw