says oxfalia. >> serra was not for taking the land. he grew apart from the spanish authorities. maybe they were together but as the years went by he began to realize they're not doing the right thing, they're molesting the indian women and he began to question the rapaciousness of the spanish soldiers and the conquest itself. >> by the time the string of missions was completed and the spanish left in 1834, many native americans had been baptized but it's estimated more were buried, wiped out, killed mostly by disease. for many native americans rapes, beatings and floggings were part of mission life. so you might understand why some native american groups are angry over plans to make father serra a saint. >> why junipero serra? >> a member of the sumash tribe, a professor of indian studies. for her, serra was not a saint. >> father junipero serra was the architect of the mission system that was so deaf stating to the native americans. >> the indians suffered. >> they suffered greatly. >> how so? >> you could be flogged ten times for a bad attitude. a lot of people died. what kind