Maíz began his education in his hometown of Arroyos y Esteros and later moved to the capital, Asunción, where he studied under the Argentine teacher José Joaquin Palacios.
However, in 1859, he left this position at the request of President Carlos Antonio López to become the first dean of the Councilor Seminary, where he taught Moral Theology and Canon Law.
One notable aspect of Father Maíz's character was his ability to achieve a high level of intellectual and cultural development without leaving Paraguay, a rarity among his contemporaries.
However, he faced challenges from Father Fideliz María de Avola, the Foreign Vicar responsible for the Church in Paraguay, who refused to engage with him, citing orders from the Brazilian delegate and suspending him from his priestly functions.
He tactfully recalled the beginning of the war, noting that as a prisoner, he had no involvement in the political, diplomatic, or military decisions made by the Paraguayan government at the time.
"Torn by the plight of my country, and under the orders of my legitimate superior, I assumed the role of a soldier without compromising my priestly duties, mindful always of my natural condition as a citizen," he wrote.
He emphasized the extraordinary circumstances of a deadly war that forced them to make difficult decisions, rejecting any responsibility for the bloodshed and seeking to clear his name and remove the canonical disqualification.
Despite the isolation during the dictatorship of Dr. José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, and the limited availability of cultural activities, Maíz accessed the works of the leading thinkers of his time, including those critical of the Catholic Church, which contributed to the depth of his ideas.