One day when he was taking a bath on a river near their house, two Spanish Jesuits passed by and asked him for the right way. Because of De la Cruz' fondness for reading, he was able to understand their language and was able to communicate with them. The Spanish priests were amazed by his intelligence and his politeness that they were not able to go to their destination, but instead they just talked with him more to get to know him better. De la Cruz was eight years old then.