Remember the Alamo

Day 224 

Visiting Texas without going to the Alamo is like, going to Texas and…well….not seeing the Alamo. But how could you not visit the place that motivated the whole of Texas to rise up and defeat the Mexican army and win their freedom to become an independent country. Even though Texas had been seeking annexation from the US, progress was slow over a few disagreeable points, one being the topic of slavery.  

The Alamo was originally built and used  as a Spanish mission and fortress compound founded in the 18th century by Roman Catholic missionaries. The mission was secularized in 1793 and then abandoned. Ten years later was used by various military groups until the battle of the Alamo in 1836. Several months after the battle, the Alamo was mostly destroyed by the Mexican army as they retreated back into Mexico. For the next five years the Alamo was ultimately abandoned and used as a stop for both the Texan, and Mexican armies passing through. 

In 1849, several years after Texas was finally annexed by the US, the US Army began renting the the Alamo as a quartermasters depot for the next eighteen years. After the US military moved on, Texas conducted occasional tours of the Alamo chapel, but made no efforts to restore it, the remaining buildings were sold to a mercantile company that operated as a wholesale grocery store. 

In 1891, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas formed, and began working to preserve the Alamo. In 1905 the state of Texas purchased the remaining buildings back and named the Daughters of the Republic of Texas as the permanent custodians. In 2015 George P. Bush moved control of the Alamo to the Texas General Land Office and in the same year became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

After exploring the Alamo, we headed over the San Antonio river walk that was strongly recommended by an old friend many years ago. We explored the walk for a few blocks before the pups began to get agitated with the volume of people walking in close proximity to them, so we turned back. The walk itself was beautiful and we would have explored it further if our furry friends were not with us. 

Bronze statue of Teddy Roosevelt. 

Bronze statue of David Crockett who died at the Alamo on March 6, 1836 fighting the Mexican Army. 

The Alamo Mission 

The inside was gutted. Not much left of the mission other than it’s shell. Repairs have been ongoing to preserve the walls and foundation. 

Alamo Courtyard. 

Display of 19th century weapons that would have been used at the Battle of the Alamo. 

The river walk of San Antonio is amazing. Accommodations must be costly here as the homeless skip the change and ask for a hundred bucks instead instead.