The Worlds of Junipero Serra

"This impressive collection of essays brings to life, in vivid color and detail, the many worlds crucial to both producing and understanding Serra, spanning the places of Mallorca, Mexico, and California and the influences of education, intellectual and spiritual life, art, popular culture, and historical commemoration."—Juliana Barr, author of Peace Came in the Form of a Woman: Indians and Spaniards in the Texas Borderlands

"Is there anyone in California’s history who still evokes such passionate disagreement as Junípero Serra? In this sparking collection, Serra’s great biographer Steven Hackel has brought together an international dream team of scholars from multiple disciplines to help us get beyond caricatures of good and evil and see the man in his full context. A subtle, surprising, and deeply satisfying book."—Brian DeLay, author of War of a Thousand Deserts: Indian Raids and the U.S.-Mexican War

"Junípero Serra traveled widely through the Spanish world of the eighteenth century. From his training in Mallorca, his transit through Puerto Rico, his experiences in many different parts of Mexico, and his work in California, Serra’s rich life constitutes an ideal vehicle to explore a vast empire in constant motion at a time of profound transformation. These essays by notable scholars and true specialists add greatly to our understanding of the man and his times and shine a light on the subtle and not-so-subtle ways in which the Old World and the New World were bound together by a common history."—Andrés Reséndez, author of The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America