PADRE JUNÍPERO SERRA
California, 1784
I journeyed to las Américas after reading
the testimony of María de Jesús de Agreda,
a nun who described visiting los indios
by flying back and forth on the wings of angels.
I never imagined the military force I would need
to keep dozens of tribes obediently working
our mission fields, under the watchful eyes
of marching soldiers.
Sometimes I whip the captives myself.
Priests are expected to be gentle,
but without violence, Spain’s misiones
in Alta California would be abandoned
by enslaved people who call me a monster
demonic.