Saint Junípero Serra and the Five Sierra Gorda Missions

English translation: , Saint Junípero Serra , Junípero Serra Ferrer O.F.M. (Petra, Mallorca; November 24, 1713 - Monterrey, Alta California; August 28, 1784), baptized as Miguel José Serra Ferrer and more traditionally known as Friar Junípero Serra, was a Spanish Franciscan friar. A doctor in philosophy and theology, he moved to America, where he founded nine Spanish missions in Alta California, and presided over another fifteen. , , He was beatified by Pope Saint John Paul II on September 28, 1988, and on September 23, 2015 he was canonized by Pope Francis, in the city of Washington D.C. From that moment on, he is also known by many Catholics as Saint Junípero Serra. , , The Jalpan Mission , Jalpan or the Defense of the Faith , This was the first of the five missions to be built, which is why it was given the name of “The Defense of the Faith ”and was destined to reinforce the fulfillment of spreading the gospel. , , It was built between 1751 and 1758 by Friar Junípero Serra and is dedicated to the Apostle Saint James (Santiago) for being the Patron Saint of All Spain. , , Its baroque façade is made up of three vertical sections divided by pilasters. Horizontally it is also divided by three sections separated by double cornices. , , The Tancoyol Mission , Tancoyol or Mercy , The name of Tancoyol comes from Huasteco and means "Place of the Dates" or "Place of the Coyol". The mission is dedicated to Our Lady of Light, however, in remote times in its history it was dedicated to Saint Augustine. It was built between 1760 and 1766. , , After approximately 239 years, Tancoyol is still alive - it is reborn like the trees that flower with new rains. It carefully observes its people, and in the middle of its silence its walls – painted with natural resin pigmentation - begin to crack and the occasional leak appears, but the warm smell of the first steps of evangelization little by little enters the senses of the visitor. , , The Mission at Landa , Landa or the City of the Gods , The temple of Landa can be considered the most elaborate of the five missions. This temple was built between 1760 and 1768 by Friar Miguel de Campa and is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. , , It can be seen that its facade is dedicated to the church, which symbolizes the union of two cultures here in the Sierra Gorda. , , The word Landa comes from the Chichimeca language and means "blind". Its facade in this case represents The City of God, in which the meeting of both cultures is founded and leading eventually to the spiritual conquest of this part of the Sierra. , , The Tilaco Mission , Tilaco or a Naive Faith , The mission of San Francisco del Valle de Tilaco was built by Friar Juan Crespi between 1754 and 1762. It is dedicated to San Francisco de Asís, who is guarded by two musician angels. Its façades is the smallest and simplest of the five missions, as well as being the only one of the missions that has its atrium on two levels due to the slope of the hill on which it is located. Its façade by two musician angels and their façades, , , The name of Tilaco comes from Nahuatl and means "place of the black water" and the town was founded by Colonel Escandalón in 1744. This mission symbolizes a naive faith, represented by what appears to be a children's theater with curtains with thick tassels held up by angels. , , The Concá Mission , Concá or the Victory of the Faith , San Miguel Concá is the smallest of the Sierra Gorda missions. It is dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel and, according to an inscription found inside, its construction was completed in 1754. Concá is a Pame word that means “with me”. , , What this mission lacks in size, it makes up for in details, with ornamental decorations of large flowers, foliage and bold indigenous-style figures. It is distinguished by an image of the Holy Trinity along with a rabbit (a Pame symbol) and the two-headed eagle. Many believe that it is "the most mestizo" of the missions, that is, the one that most reflects indigenous influence. . This historical marker is Near La Vuelta in Landa de Matamoros Querétaro Mexico