[1] Along with his close friend and fellow Jesuit, Custodio Ximeno, Villarroya traveled to Sonora in the spring of 1763.
The two men were also accompanied by Juan Claudio de Pineda [es], the new governor of Sonora.
[2][3] Villarroya was initially assigned to Missions Los Siete Príncipes del Átil and San Pedro y San Pablo del Tubutama.
[1] In July 1767, Spanish soldiers from Presidio Santa Gertrudis del Altar arrived to carry out the orders of Charles III by expelling the Jesuits from Mexico.
Along with about fifty other Jesuits, Villarroya was escorted to a church in Mátape, near Hermosillo.