Junípero Serra and the California Missions

• Junípero Serra was a Franciscan missionary who is now a saint.
• He is often praised for his work with California Indians, but Castillo argues that he was a brutal leader who oversaw the enslavement and deaths of thousands of Native Americans.
• Castillo spent seven years researching the book, and it was published last year.
• The book has sparked controversy in the United States, with some lawmakers removing language praising the missions in a 2004 bill before it passed.
• The Franciscans were instrumental in the establishment of the first Spanish settlements in California.
• The Franciscans were single-minded in their goal of converting the Indians to Christianity and, as a result, the Indians were treated harshly and often died in the missions.
• The Indians who did not die in the missions often escaped and were punished by the friars.
• In 1775, Father Junipero Serra wrote a letter to his military commander in which he explained the rationale for the harsh treatment of the Indians.
• Junipero Serra was a Spanish religious leader who founded the California missions.
• The California missions were brutal places where Indian people were forced to work and were often killed.
• The state curriculum has recently started to recognize the negative impacts of the missions on the Indians.
• The Ohlone people were forcibly baptized and moved to Mission Dolores from their East Bay village in the late 1700s.
• Galvan, the curator at Mission Dolores, tells the tourists that the Spanish needed workers and that the Franciscans changed the Indians.
• Medina, Galvan's cousin, says that most of the missions don't do a good job of representing Indian history and that the Church needs to take action to address peoples' anger.
• The California Catholic Conference of Bishops announced an 18 month pro-active plan to address the anger of Californian Indians in September.

Test your knowledge about Junípero Serra, the California missions, and the controversy surrounding the treatment of Native Americans. Learn about the history and impact of the missions on the indigenous people of California.