San Antonio - The Alamo

The third stop of our day in San Antonio was The Alamo, the iconic symbol of Texan Independence. It was just a few blocks away from the River Walk.

The Alamo was originally one of the Spanish missions, founded in 1718, named Misión San Antonio de Valero. After the mission was secularized near the turn of the century, it became a military fort, first under New Spain, and then under newly independent Mexico. The fort was eventually surrendered to the Texian Army, and the famous Battle of the Alamo took place in 1836.

All that remain of the original mission are the Long Barracks (formerly the convent), and the Church. It was interesting to learn that the Church was never completed and was roofless until the mid 1800’s. New buildings hold a museum and a surprisingly large gift shop, and a new visitor center/museum is under construction.

We looked inside the Church briefly and then wandered the grounds. There was a living history encampment and with guides in period costumes, and a garden with larger-than-life bronze sculptures of Alamo heroes.

Davey Crockett

A well-known frontiersman from Tennessee, he was made even more legendary by Walt Disney’s television series. Did he make a heroic last stand and die in battle, or did he surrender, to be executed later?

The iconic church facade

Church interior

Living History Encampment

James Bowie

Famous for fending off attackers with his knife, Bowie was co-commander of the Alamo. He was ill at the time of the battle and was killed in his sickbed.

William Barrett Travis

Educator, newspaper editor, lawyer, and soldier. As co-commander of the Alamo, he wrote letters requesting reinforcements, including the eloquent “Victory or Death” letter pleading for help that never came.

Emily West Morgan

A free woman of mixed race, she was working at a Texas hotel when she was captured by the Mexican army. Legend has it that she seduced Mexican General Santa Anna during the Battle of San Jacinto, enabling the Texans to defeat the Mexicans in just 18 minutes. She is said to have inspired the song, “The Yellow Rose of Texas.”

Speaking of heroes, modern historians are trying to set the record straight about the Battle of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution. They say that the heroic stories taught in Texas schools and immortalized in the 1960 John Wayne film are Anglo-centric myths. They also say that slavery, not Mexican oppression, was the main reason for the Texas Revolution. (If you are curious, you can read this or listen to this.)

After this admittedly brief visit to the Alamo, my impression was that the hero stories were presented as “folklore” rather than historical fact, and that there was an ongoing effort to relate the “full history” of the place and to be respectful of all who died there. Here in Texas, the Hispanic/Latino population is the majority. I hope that the caretakers of the Alamo are successful in presenting its history so that it is more of a shared narrative.