The Chumash were the only culture in this area for more than 6,000 years. The European invasion about 300 years ago changed this. An agent of the Spanish Inquisition, Junipero Serra enslaved the Chumash and forced them to build his churches, roads, and government buildings. Serra should not have received sainthood (“Mission to sainthood,” Oct. 1) but should instead have a yearly fire built around his statue on Chumash Day—burned at the stake.Â
— Bill Deneen – Nipomo
This article appears in Oct 8-15, 2015.
