B: book. Description: "Relacion Historica de la vida y Apostolicas Tareas del Venerable Padre Fray Junipero Serra, y de las misiones que fundo en la California Septrentrional y neuvos establecimientos de Monterey" by Francisco Palou. History: ..a expenses de varios bienhechores, plate, folding map, 12 1 344 pp., 4to, vellum with ties, name of former owner on endpaper, a fine crisp copy. Mexico: d. Felipe de Zuniga y Ontiveros, 1787. 68.228.6a Map removed and framed. From the History Information Station: Object: "Relacion Historica De La Vida Y Apostolicas Tareas Del Venerable Padre Junipero Serra," by Fray Francisco Palóu. Published in Mexico in 1787. History: This is a biography of Junípero Serra (1713-1784), a Franciscan padre. Serra, a native of Majorca in Spain, had been a professor of philosophy for 15 years before leaving for Mexico in 1749 at the age of 37 to become a missionary in the New World. He was accompanied by a former student and friend, Father Francisco Palóu. In 1769, Jose de Galvez, the aide to the Spanish king's viceroy in Mexico, needed a strong-willed cleric to head the founding of the missions in Alta California. He turned to Serra. Serra was a small man and not particularly robust; however, at age 55, he accepted the challenging task. He journeyed 750 miles on mule back to the site of the first mission at San Diego.