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The Representation Of Junípero Serra In California History, Robert M. Senkewicz

History

Junipero Serra was the subject of the first published book written in Alta California. In September 1784, a week or so after he had celebrated Serra's funeral Mass, Francisco Palóu, Serra's former student and closest friend, returned to his post at Mission San Francisco de Asis. He spent the next months writing Serra's biography which he entitled Historical Account of the Life and Apostolic Labors of the Venerable Father Fray Junipero Serra. Palóu took this manuscript with him when he returned to Mexico City in the summer of 1785. He circulated it among a number of his companions at the …