Francisco Marroquín (1499 – April 18, 1563) was the first bishop of Guatemala,[1][2] translator of Central American languages and provisional Governor of Guatemala.
Marroquín was born near Santander, Spain. He studied philosophy and theology in Osuna.[3] 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.[4] Marroquín became a priest in the Spanish royal court.[3] 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.[5]
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.[6] On December 18, 1534, he was appointed during the papacy of Pope Paul III as Bishop of Santiago de Guatemala[7] and later provisional governor of Guatemala.[6] On April 8, 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.[7] 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).[7]
Marroquín founded the School of Saint Thomas in 1559 (now the University of San Carlos of Guatemala) as part of his efforts to educate the native people. He became a scholar of the Kʼicheʼ language and published the first catechism in that language.[8]
The Universidad Francisco Marroquín in Guatemala City is named for him.