In a pastoral message sent from San José, on 29 June 1896 Casanova y Estrada pointed out that the Expo would allow the government to reach to great goals: that Central American get to know among themselves much better and that the area products would be showcased to the rest of the world.

[7] Upon learnings about this, president Reina Barrios -who happened to be a high ranked Mason — realized the bishop's patriotism and presented an initiative to the National Assembly on its inaugural session of 1 March 1897 to allow his return to Guatemalan soil.

[1] Then, he boarded a train that took him to Guatemala City where an even larger crowd was waiting for him at the Central Station, and then accompanied him to his quarters at the Metropolitan Cathedral; there were people on top of roof and every single window across the way, who saluted Casanova y Estrada.

[9] During a visit to Quetzaltenango, Casanova y Estrada fell seriously ill in Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán parish and decided right there and then to return to Guatemala City immediately; he took the road of San Felipe, arriving at Cantel on 12 April 1913.

[10] After a few days while Casanova y Estrada's remains were transported back to Guatemala City and there were several ceremonies in his honor, he was buried in the Metropolitan Cathedral crypt, exactly below the Immaculate Conception altar, as he had wished.