in 1598, at the age of 23, gonzález was ordained a priest by fernando trexo y senabria, o.f.m., the bishop of córdoba, to serve that diocese. in 1609 he became a member of the society of jesus, beginning his work as a missionary in what is now brazil. he became the first european person to enter the region known today as the state of rio grande do sul, extending the system of jesuit reductions begun in paraguay to that region.