Father Serra is a very important person. Why? Because he helped to start the missions in Alta California. Father Serra was born on November 24, 1713 on the island of Majorca. His dream was bringing the message of God's love to the Indians. To prepare for this mission, he went to school where the teachers belonged to the Order of Saint Francis. He knew he wanted to become a missionary in the new land, so he did. In 1749, he left Spain to go to New Spain (Mexico) to begin his dream of being a missionary. In 1769, Father Serra got the chance he was looking for. He was ask to go to Alta California with an explorer named Gaspar de Portolá to start a mission there. They landed in San Diego Bay and started Mission San Diego. From then, Father Serra helped establish 9 other missions. He died when the 9th mission was built. In 1784 at the age of 71, Father Serra died.
For more info check out this site: