Juan de Plasencia or Juan Portocarrero (birth name) was born from the illustrious family
of the Portocarrero in Plasencia in the region of Extremadura, Spain in the early 16th century. He
was one of the seven children of Don Pedro Portocarrero who was a captain of a Spanish
schooner, who died in Naples, Italy in 1574. His siblings were D. Alfonso Pacheco Portocarrero,
D. Pedro Portocarrero, D. Rodrigo Pacheco, Doña Beatriz, Doña Ana, and Doña Inés
Portocarrero. Having had a father who constantly plied the waters of the 16th century Spanish
domain in the Mediterranean Sea which extended from the coast of the Iberian Peninsula to the
ports of Naples, some of his biographers believed that the young Juan might have spent his early
childhood in Italy.
In fact, this brought about some speculations that he could have probably
even joined the Italian Conventuals in his later teens. He grew up during the period known as the
Siglo de Oro. His upbringing was spent against the backdrop of the spiritual and religious
resurgence affected by this age. This was also the reason why he entered the Franciscan
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- Fall '19
- Mr. Otano
- Juan, Laguna, Juan de Plasencia
