In the age of post-truth, it perhaps makes more sense than ever before, showing great characters in history, that they are masters of humanity. This does not mean talking about a legendary being, or as you would now say, a superhero, where his virtues are exaggerated and his flaws are silenced. Lol Because it would not be true what is shown and above all, because it would be unhuman. But to show the character what it is, with its lights and shadows. To learn from all the good he's done, even the bad. So as not to fall for those mistakes. Educationally speaking is something that impacts our training, at all ages. But especially in childhood, where we have more capacity for wonder. And it's a very strong footprint, if we show attention and interest. One of these great characters is Junípero Serra. Miguel José, the name with which he was baptized, is a Spanish missionary born in 1713 in Petra (Mallorca) who founded 9 missions in the United States and maintained others that were already underway. For this reason, he is the only Spaniard to have a statue in the U.S. Capitol, that monument that appears in American films and has a large white dome. Junípero appears there, representing California. In fact, they call him the "Father of California." Since 23 September 2015 he has been a saint in the Catholic Church. What legacy does it leave to the USA, Mexico, Spain and the Church? On the one hand, it helped the independence of the United States, supported by Spain. Collecting money, which he sent to help the independence cause of the 13 colonies on the East Coast. That cause triumphed in 1781. In addition, he is the Father or founder of several U.S. missions, which would later be the largest, most important and influential cities on the West Coast of the United States: Los Angeles, St. Louis, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, etc. In Mexico are the 5 Franciscan missions founded under his supervision, of the Sierra Gorda de Querétaro. Built between 1750 and 1760. They were declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 2003. It is also a model of Christian life, for having lived all human virtues to the highest degree, as Christ did and for being a model of dedication in his missionary work. Pope John Paul II beatified him (step before he was a saint) on September 25, 1988. On September 23, 2015, Pope Francis canonized him. That is, it made him a saint (a person very close to God). They called him the "California Apostle" or "Father of California," because he laid the foundation for the state of California. Recently in California there have been vandalism against his sculptures, for wanting to hold him responsible for alleged abuses against the indigenous community. It is enough to listen to or read the vast wisdom of Elvira Roca Barea, to understand that these comments are the fruit of the "black legend". The reality is that the extermination and abuse of the Indians of America was largely the work of english settlers and their descendants. They were killed or confined to the Indian reserves, in pitiful conditions. article by the author of the book: Alvaro Gil Ruiz More information for young people: "Fray Junípero Serra… and what North America owes it"