Now Native American and other campus activists are pressuring Stanford to erase from the campus all traces of the padre. If the Stanford activists aim to obliterate Serra’s presence from their campus, they’ve got their work cut out for them. Serra is inextricably intertwined with the history of Stanford University, and the history of California itself. Every major city in California — San Diego, Los Angeles (thanks to its proximity to San Gabriel), San Jose, San Francisco — lies on the mission trail. The Main Quad, part of a master plan designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead, imitates Serra’s missions (with some Romanesque touches).

Source: Los Angeles Times November 30, 2017 12:00 UTC