Should you ever stroll down the streets of Petra, in the central Pla de Mallorca, you will perhaps be surprised by some evidence of Hermanamientos with some exotic places in the world at large. Such sibling-ship relates to twin towns that the Municipality of Petra is related to, mainly in Mexico and in the US State of California.

All this is due to the Mallorcan missionary, Fray Junípero Serra, who set off from Mallorca in 1749, to bring the Catholic faith to the Mexicans by setting up missions of the order of San Fernando. One such mission is the Monastery of Jalpan, in the Mexican province of Querétaro, which was built in 1751/58. Apparently, Junípero Serra took the trouble of learning the local Querétaro language, Pame, and translated the basic religious text books of his faith into Pame, thus eliminating some linguistic obstacles.

Petra, Mallorca, and Jalpan, Mexico, are twinned since 1977.

The photo was taken in Petra, Mallorca, Spain. The date: December 31st, 2007. The time was 13:11:23.