Remember Mision San Antonio de Valero!
Written: Jan 23 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Tall tales and huge characters
Cons: Not exactly objective & balanced...
The Bottom Line: Remember the Alamo! Visit the place and you'll know why...
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| mrkstvns's Full Review: Alamo, San Antonio |
Longhorns and Lone Stars are all fine and dandy, but when push comes to shove, I'll bet a heck of a lot of folks will name the Alamo as the number one symbol of Texas. There's a lot of stories and controversies behind that brick and mortar symbol, and there's no better way to get acquainted with the history than by visiting the site and actually touching the walls where history was written large.
The Story Behind the Symbol...
The whole big love affair over the Alamo boils down to really one day in history: March 6, 1836. That's the day that General Santa Ana woke up, had a few huevos revueltos with salsa verde, and said, "Screw this siege nonsense. Let's have us a real live battle!" and he commenced to attackin' the Texan rebels who were holed up in the old San Antonio mission.
What actually happened that day is the stuff of controversy, and it all depends on who you believe. Most scholars these days will tell you that the story in Texas schoolkid history books is a lot of bunk, mostly tall tales spun to paint the Texans as big heroes and inspirations to other Texans. When the new and improved Alamo movie came out a year or two ago, it tried to come closer to the historical truth, but truth is something that a lot of folks wanted. They wanted to go on believing all the nonsense about fighting to the last man and bullet. Alamo defenders who are more traitors than heroes and who are executed by firing squad, well, that doesn't have quite the ring of mythic proportions that Texans like in their heroes (and we'd thank you all very much for never again bringing up little nagging details like truth and accuracy.)
So anyway, the Texans were holed up in the old Mision and especially in the friary (which is referred to in Alamo-speak as "the long barracks"). They'd fortified their defenses and had cannon to cover key approaches and were able to hold off General Santa Ana's vastly superior army, which laid siege to San Antonio for about 2 weeks before the key battle.
The battle happened. Santa Ana's army sustained heavy casualties, but numerical superiority being what it is, still managed to take the fort and wipe out the Texans. Those who surrendered were executed for treason. When other Texans heard what happened, they were ticked, and so, when their opportunity for another crack at Santa Ana came at San Jacinto, they rushed the Mexican army with the infamous battle cry, Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad! It's a Hollywood moment....
The Mission Days...
The Alamo was originally built by Franciscan priests led by Father Antonio de San Buenaventura y Olivares. The year was 1718, and it was a tough time for the Spanish missionary priests. Their Texan missions weren't always prospering as expected, and they ran into more than their share of problems with very hostile natives who didn't exactly cotton to the idea of adapting to European ways and Gods. So anyway, the Alamo got its start on the misfortunes of a failed mission near Eagle Pass, called the Mision San Francisco Solano.
The Mision San Antonio de Valero was one of a string of missions around San Antonio (most are well preserved and part of the San Antonio Missions National Park). The missions prospered on and off with hiccups throughout the 18th century, but by around 1800, the church viewed many of them as losing propositions, including the Mision San Antonio de Valero. And so the church abandoned the mission...
The Mexican Army took it over and used the place as a hospital, then as a barracks. Along the way, they decided to call it el Alamo (sure is easier to say, isn't it?) And it was used to house soldiers when the first band of Texan rebels ousted the small occupying force that was housed there in early 1836, laying the stage for Santa Ana's response and the battle that history remembers....
Visiting the Alamo...
The Alamo is located in the heart of downtown San Antonio. There's ample parking nearby (mostly in commercial lots). Admission is free (ain't that a beautiful sounding word?) to walk through most of the site, though there is plenty of stuff nearby to spend money on.
When you visit the site for the first time, you'll be shocked at how small the church really is. Maybe that's why the defenders were mostly occupying the long barracks.
There are five main things to see here:
* The church: You can see some basic architectural details of mission-era churches here, but if that's your interest, you're really better off in the other San Antonio area missions. After all, those other missions don't have rooms full of flags or exhibits on the wall showing off things like Davy Crockett's rifle, which is what you'll see inside the church at the Alamo.
* The long barracks: It was built to house priests, then used to house soldiers, but today it's used as a series of linked galleries of historical exhibits. Stroll through and see how the mission looked when it was operating, how the indian populations were subjugated, where the Mexican Army camped and attacked the rebels. Hear how the whole site was almost turned into a department store and hotel...
* The museum: Tricky folks, those Daughters of the Texas Revolution (who operate the site). They've put a bunch of historical exhibits right up close and personal to the gift shop so that a tourist can't help but stroll through and pick up a few color postcards or T-shirts ("Grandma visited the Alamo and all I got was this stinkin' T-shirt"). Credit cards are cheerfully accepted, just sign here please...
* The gardens: Walking the grounds at the Alamo is a peaceful way to pass some time. The gardens are criss-crossed with walking paths and shaded by towering trees (wonder if any of 'em are really cottonwoods). The meandering channel full of big goldfish was part of the actual water supply system built by the missionary priests (wonder what a priest has to do to get into a missionary position) in the 18th century.
* Alamo Plaza: Great photo ops in the plaza out front. There's also a monument to the defenders here and the occasional roving popsicle vendor.
The Bottom Line...
San Antonio is chock full of fun things to do, plus its a place with plenty of history behind it and some darn good tales to boot. A visit to San Antonio just wouldn't be complete without checking out the Alamo. Gotta do it!
Closely Related Reviews...
Interested in Texas history sites? Here's a few places you might also like...
* San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
* Goliad State Historical Park
* Bob Bullock Texas History Museum
* Stephen Austin State Historical Park
* George Ranch
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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