Francisco Marroquín

Most Reverend Francisco Marroquín Hurtado
Bishop of Santiago de Guatemala
Francisco Marroquín on a Guatemalan stamp
Church	Catholic Church
Diocese	Diocese of Santiago de Guatemala
In office	1534-1563
Predecessor	None
Successor	Bernardino de Villalpando
Orders
Consecration	8 Apr 1537 by Juan de Zumárraga
Personal details
Born	1478 Santander, Spain
Died	19 Apr 1563 Guatemala City, Guatemala
Nationality	Spanish

Francisco Marroquín (1499 – April 18, 1563) was the first bishop of Guatemala, translator of Central American languages and provisional Governor of Guatemala.

Marroquín was born near Santander, Spain. He studied philosophy and theology in Osuna. After entering the priesthood, Marroquín became a professor at the University of Osuna where he met Bishop García de Loaisa, an adviser to Emperor Charles V. Marroquín became a priest in the Spanish royal court. In 1528 the conquistador Pedro de Alvarado, Governor of Guatemala, was in Spain and met Marroquín; he convinced the priest to accompany him back to Guatemala.

After first arriving in Mexico, he traveled onwards to Guatemala with Alvarado, in May 1528. On April 11, 1530, he was appointed parish priest of Guatemala. On December 18, 1534, he was appointed during the papacy of Pope Paul III as Bishop of Santiago de Guatemala and later provisional governor of Guatemala. On 8 Apr 1537, he was consecrated bishop by Juan de Zumárraga, Archbishop of Mexico, with Juan Lopez de Zárate, Bishop of Antequera, Oaxaca serving as co-consecrator. While bishop, he was the principal consecrator of Tomás Casillas, Bishop of Chiapas (1552) and principal co-consecrator of Antonio de Valdivieso, Bishop of Nicaragua (1544).