Rodrigo played an important role in the conquest of Seville, where he received the village of Villalba, which he afterwards donated to the Order of Calatrava. He likewise took the surrender of Carmona when it submitted to Ferdinand. He held the office of "mayordomo mayor" under Ferdinand III on two separate occasions: from August 1238 until February 1246 and from January 1248 until 1252. His second period in office ended with Ferdinand's death, when Alfonso X named Juan García de Villamayor, the son of his tutors, García Fernández de Villamayor and Mayor Arias, as his "mayordomo".