He left at the age of 23 for New Spain, and is considered the first saint of Guatemala and Central America for having done his missionary work in those American lands.

He also prayed in a small cave[5] near the present-day town of El Médano (municipality of Granadilla de Abona).

During this period, his eldest brother, Mateo, migrated to Spain's colonies in the New World, possibly settling in Ecuador.

There are anecdotes about Betancourt's life in Tenerife, such as his practice of staying in a cave in El Médano in the south of the island.

He used it as a seasonal winter refuge with his cattle, a place of prayer, and a shelter from pirates, who frequently raided the Canary Islands coast.

After holding the position of sacristan in a church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, he rented a house in a suburb of Calvary city.

The men and women who joined his religious community also served in the two other hospitals of the city, and Betancourt continued to befriend poor children.

Betancourt devoted his life to helping those marginalized: lepers, prisoners, slaves and Indians and served as precursor of Human Rights.

At the homily read by Pope John Paul in Guatemala City on 30 July 2002, Betancourt was called the "first Tenerifean and Guatemalan saint", and he "... personifies "a heritage which must not be lost; we should always be thankful for it and we should renew our resolve to imitate it".

The Cave of Santo Hermano Pedro is located in the south of the island of Tenerife, in a desert on the outskirts of the city of El Médano.

The Saint Peter appears in many stories of oral tradition, especially those linked to his pastoral and mystical activity in his cave located in the Chasna region in the south of Tenerife.

[16] This has caused him to be proposed in recent times by different political and religious authorities as a co-patron or secondary patron of the Canary Islands.

[19] Among the iconographic elements What defines it in the Catholic saints is the Canarian shepherd's spear, which also has its origin in the aboriginal people of the islands.

[2] All these elements, among others, have made the figure of San Pedro de Betancur one of the main symbols of Canarian religious and cultural identity.

He is sometimes credited with introducing to the Americas, the Christmas Eve posadas procession, in which people representing Mary and Joseph seek a night's lodging from their neighbors.

[8] Among other facets of his life, he was known for his defense of the Immaculate Conception, two centuries before it was declared as dogma, his devotion to the souls of Purgatory, and his penances.

[21] The historian David Vela, biographer of the saint, attributes to him the titles of "doctor in humility" and "wise in mercy".