Pedro de Zárate

Pedro de Zárate
A painting of Zárate getting murdered
Born
Pedro Ortiz de Zárate

1622 (1622)
San Salvador de Jujuy
DiedOctober 27, 1683(1683-10-27) (aged 60–61)
Cause of deathAssassination
OccupationPriest
SpousePetronila de Ibarra y Murguía
Children2
RelativesJuan de Garay (nephew)

Pedro Ortiz de Zárate (also known as Don. Pedro Ortiz de Zárate, 1622 – October 27, 1683) was an Argentine catholic priest. He was the uncle of Juan de Garay, one of the first people to found the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. Pedro belonged to a family of conquerors who held possessions of encomiendas.[1] In 1683, he, along with others, were murdered by indigenous tribes due to their supposed hatred of faith.

Early life

Zárate was born in San Salvador de Jujuy, in what is now northwestern Argentina, in 1622. His family owned several ecomiendas in the region. He later rose to the rank of royal lieutenant in his hometown, helped by his family's political connections. In 1644, he married Petronila de Ibarra y Murguía, and they had two children. Nine years after their marriage, his wife died when a building collapsed on her, killing her instantly.[2] Afterward, Zárate lived as a widower for many years. In 1675, he decided to leave his civilian life and become a priest.[3][4]

Assassination

In May 1683, Zárate set out on a missionary journey with two other priests and 70 companions.[5] On October 27, 1683, Zárate, along with priest Giovanni Antonio Solinas, and 18 others, were murdered by indigenous tribes due to their supposed hatred of faith.[2][6]

In 2021, Pope Francis blessed many martyrs including Zárate, Pope John Paul I and others.[5][7]

References

  1. ^ "La noticia del año: la beatificación del mártir Pedro Ortiz de Zárate | Vía Jujuy". Vía País (in Spanish). 2021-12-17. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
  2. ^ a b "Don Pedro Ortiz de Zárate". www.museocolonial.gov.co. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
  3. ^ "Ortiz de Zárate será el primer mártir de la historia de Argentina". Religión Digital (in European Spanish). 2021-10-13. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
  4. ^ "Don Pedro Ortiz de Zárate". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
  5. ^ a b "Bienheureux Pedro Ortiz de Zárate et Juan Antonio Solinas". Nominis (in French). Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  6. ^ María, Radio (2024-12-06). "La sorprendente vida del primer beato criollo: Pedro Ortiz de Zárate". Podcast (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-10-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ "Décrets: 2 nouveaux bienheureux, 4 vénérables et un martyr - Vatican News". www.vaticannews.va (in French). 2021-10-13. Retrieved 2025-10-20.