A flurry of recent Serra scholarship , however, suggests the politics of the Spanish conquest were complicated. Missions were established with much greater success and lesser suffering in other parts of the American continent — particularly by the Jesuits.
He hoped that by the time Spaniards came in large numbers, Native Americans would be educated and competent to deal with it. That was the dream, but the dream never came true.
Most historians, however, dismiss that interpretation as fanciful. But the sponsors of the measure, including a Latino state senator from Los Angeles and the speaker of the state assembly, have vowed to reintroduce it thereafter — paving the way for yet more showdowns over Serra in the foreseeable future. This article is more than 6 years old. Read more.
The pope should not grant sainthood to a brutal missionary Rose Aguilar. So, who was this man whom Native American activists and others have been calling out for decades as being undeserving of statuary and other honorary namings? Serra was the principal architect of the California mission system, overseeing the building of nine missions from San Diego up to San Francisco during his lifetime, beginning in While building these missions, Serra pressed native peoples into labor, and sought — along with the entire Catholic missionary apparatus — to "civilize" them by stripping them of their cultures and converting them to Christianity.
Activists argue that Serra is largely responsible for decimating entire tribes and villages — often through the introduction of diseases — and for flogging and imprisoning indigenous people who disobeyed his commands. Some historians of color, like Ruben Mendoza, say that Serra's legacy has been misrepresented. Mendoza is the coordinator of California mission archaeology at Cal State Monterey Bay, and as he told the Los Angeles Times in , Serra was "actually in constant conflict with governors and military commanders in New Spain over how they were treating Indians," and he says he can't find any evidence of abuse of native people in Serra's own documents.
Gregory Orfalea, who wrote a biography of Serra , says that Serra urged the Spanish viceroy to spare the lives of a group of indigenous people who were blamed for murdering three Spaniards in San Diego in We cannot guarantee a response from any author. We welcome any information that will help us improve the factual accuracy of this piece.
Thank you. Please consult our Contact Us page for other options to reach us. Your source for jobs, books, retreats, and much more. A vandalized statue of St. Junipero Serra in San Francisco is seen June 19, The Spanish Franciscan founded several missions in what is now California. Pull it! This is for our ancestors," a person shouted. We need to do more than topple some statues. Alejandra Molina - Religion News Service alemolina. Provide feedback on this article. Join the conversation: Login or create an account.
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