Though José Vizcarra was born in Ilo, Moquegua, he spent most of his life in Arequipa. Vizcarra first played basketball in Arequipa with Club Internacional de Tiro, then played with Sporting Miraflores in Lima. In addition to representing his country at the 1948 Olympics, he was also a member of the Peruvian national team at the 1953 South American Basketball Championship in Montevideo and 1954 FIBA World Championship in Rio de Janeiro. Educated at Colegio La Salle in Arequipa, he later had a career as a business administrator at Mercatoria (later known as Electrolux).