Songs of the Righteous

Desiderio Arce was raised in Quiriza, a small mining community in the Andes mountains near the Bolivia-Argentina border, where his parents taught him to sing Quechua folk songs. When he was 10, Desiderio left home and traveled to the nearby village of La Quiaca, Argentina, to attend school. He acquired a guitar and taught himself to play. He became a talented singer and performer.

While performing in La Quiaca, he was discovered as a major talent by one of Argentina’s famous folk groups, Las Voces de Huayra. He performed with the group for 10 years, residing in Salta, Argentina, where he met and married Nelly Aguilar.

Missionaries gave the couple a copy of the Book of Mormon shortly after their marriage. As an Indigenous person, Desiderio was interested in the Book of Mormon’s message that Christ had come to the Americas. Nelly and Desiderio accepted baptism in 1961 and became part of a small branch of pioneer members in Salta, Argentina. At the same time, Desiderio’s singing career took off, and he became well-known.

One day, the president of the North Argentine Mission asked Desiderio why he thought missionary work was progressing slowly. Desiderio replied that the mission had not yet invested resources in teaching Indigenous residents of the region, including his own people.

On Christmas Day 1966, Desiderio escorted the mission president and three missionaries to Quiriza. He introduced them to his family, friends, and local leaders and sang for the people in every small village they passed through.

The following year, Desiderio and Nelly accepted calls to serve as full-time missionaries in Quiriza. Desiderio put his flourishing music career on hold while he, Nelly, and their three children moved to Quiriza. Desiderio remembered his three group members “could not believe that I would leave all the opportunities that were available at this time.”

“We lived on faith, as we had no money,” remembered Nelly. People in the village brought small bundles of goods, such as cheese, potatoes, or goat meat, to share with the Arces. “This was a miracle and a great blessing in our lives,” Nelly said. Their fourth child, Maria Elena Arce, was born in Quiriza.

Nelly and Desiderio helped build a chapel in Quiriza, which was dedicated in 1969. There were no baptized members when the chapel was being built; however, villagers volunteered with the construction, making adobe bricks and plastering the walls.

Nelly held Primary at the chapel every day after school. She and Desiderio stayed in Quiriza for several years.

When they returned to Salta, Desiderio resumed his singing career and became renowned as an expert in Argentine folklore. In 2012, at the age of 85 and 88, respectively, Nelly and Desiderio attended the dedication of the Cochabamba Bolivia Temple and enjoyed a joyful reunion with fellow missionaries and members.