Juan de la Cruz joined the troops of King Felipe V. In Naples he was present at the coronation of Carlos III.
He left for the Indies in the ship of San Esteban and attended the assault in Colonia del Sacramento, where the Portuguese took him prisoner.
[1] Upon arriving in Concepción, he stayed in those lands where he was part of the retinue of the Count of Superunda, with whom he promised to found cities in the center of the Kingdom.
[2] The noble neighbors considered Juan de la Cruz y Bernardotte as a good gentleman, despite being a foreigner.
De la Cruz filed an application asking to be left because of his age, because he was then seventy years old, for his services and for being one of the first settlers.