>> he wanted to found as many missions as quickly as he possibly could. he also was someone who deep in his heart believed that he loved the indians. he thought they were like children. >> reporter: sierra's canonization was not welcomed by everyone. there was a backlash from the ancestors of those native tribes who found themselves under spanish rule. >> i can think of nothing good that came from the mission times. they totally destroyed our culture. they destroyed our people. they destroyed our environment. and they stole our land. what good can come of that. >> reporter: valuentine lopez is a tribal leader for one of the many tribes attached by serra's work. >> he's going to be the patron saint of brutality. the patron saint of domination. and the patron saint of death. >> historians say the indigenous people looked at serra and the missions with suspicion and curiosity. this drawing shows the first attempted baptism, which went awry when the native people