THE YEAR OF FATHER SERRA
On 24 November 1713, the founder of the California Missions, the Franciscan missionary Fray Junípero Serra (1713, Petra-1748, Monterrey) was born in the Mallorcan town of Petra.
A great visionary, a fervent believer and integrator of cultures, Father Serra played a key role in the establishment of the first civilised settlements that led to the foundation of the State of California, and in the task of linking Mallorcan and American societies. It is no surprise that in the United States he is seen as one of the “fathers” of the American nation, with the honour of being the only Spanish figure present in the Capitol in Washington, since he was proposed in 1931 by the State of California itself.