His interest in education run in his family. His parents, Santiago Rodríguez and Josefa Collantes, had a wealthy position and they were owners of a noble house in the main square of Chachapoyas. They had taken an active part in the efforts so that this city was provided with a school. Toribio should have felt impressed by this wish of his parents during his childhood, since he gave a lot of samples of his tendency to education from his early years.