Originally dubbed Mission San Antonio de Valero when it was built in 1724 the old mission served many roles in the one-hundred plus years leading up to the Texas revolution including mission, fort, arms storage and the first recorded hospital in Texas. It was occupied by both the rebel, Spanish and then the Mexican military during and after the ten year Mexican civil war. The Alamo (Spanish for cottonwood) is and always will be the most important piece property in the south west.
When the troops inside where surprised by the arrival of Santa Anna’s army in the city on February 23rd , Col. William B Travis, commander of the Alamo, facing overwhelming numbers drew a line on the ground and asked any man willing to stand and fight to step over… all but one did.
Behind these walls that great American folk heroes, James Bowie and Davy Crockett along with some two-hundred other courageous men defended the ground for thirteen days until on March 6th 1836 Mexican forces lead by Santa Anna, after suffering hundreds of causalities of their own, overcame the defenders and captured the garrison killing all but two of the people inside in an attempt to crush the Texan forces into submission. This devastating defeat only served to rally the Texas forces. In less than one month after the battle of the Alamo the Texans defeated the Mexican Army and ended the revolution with the famous words “Remember the Alamo” ringing in their ears. The Alamo served as a focal point for the community and the City of San Antonio sprang up around it. Currently maintained by The Daughters of the Republic of Texas, The Alamo stands as an icon of Texan and American bravery and tenacity.
The Alamo is famous worldwide as a symbol of heroic struggle against impossible odds. No visit to San Antonio would be complete without a tour.
