The Alamo's Historic PastOriginally named Mision San Antonio de Valero, the Alamo served as home to missionaries and their Indian converts for nearly seventy years. Construction began on the present site in 1724. In 1793, Spanish officials secularized San Antonio 's five missions and distributed their lands to the remaining Indian residents. These men and women continued to farm the fields--once the mission's but now their own--and participated in the growing community of San Antonio.
In the early 1800s, the Spanish military stationed a cavalry unit at the former mission. The soldiers referred to the old mission as the Alamo (the Spanish word for "cottonwood") in honor of their hometown Alamo de Parras, Coahuila. The post's commander established the first recorded hospital in Texas in the Long Barrack. The Alamo was home to both Revolutionaries and Royalists during Mexico 's ten-year struggle for independence. The military--Spanish, Rebel, and then Mexican--continued to occupy the Alamo until the Texas Revolution.
San Antonio and the Alamo played a critical role in the Texas Revolution. In December 1835, Ben Milam led Texian and Tejano volunteers against Mexican troops quartered in the city. After five days of house- to- house fighting, they forced General Martin Perfecto de Cos and his soldiers to surrender. The victorious volunteers then occupied the Alamo--already fortified prior to the battle by Cos' men--and strengthened its defenses. On February 23, 1836, the arrival of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna's army outside San Antonio nearly caught them by surprise. Undaunted, the Texians and Tejanos prepared to defend the Alamo together. The defenders held out for 1 3 days against Santa Anna's army. William B. Travis, the commander of the Alamo, sent
forth couriers carrying pleas for help to communities in Texas. On the eighth day of the siege, a band of 32 volunteers from Gonzales arrived, bringing the number of defenders to nearly two hundred. Legend holds that with the possibility of additional help fading, Colonel Travis drew a line on the ground and asked any man willing to stay and fight to step over--all except one did. As the defenders saw it, the Alamo was the key to the defense of Texas, and they were ready to give their lives rather than surrender their position to General Santa Auna. Among the Alamo's garrison were Jim Bowie, renowned knife fighter, and David Crockett, famed frontiersman and former congressman from Tennessee.
The final assault came before daybreak on the morning of March 6, l 836, as columns of Mexican soldiers emerged from the predawn darkness and headed for the Alamo's walls. Cannon and small arms fire from inside the Alamo beat back several attacks. Regrouping, the Mexicans scaled the walls and rushed into the compound. Once inside, they turned captured canon on the Long Barrack and church, blasting open the barricaded doors. The desperate struggle continued until the defenders were overwhelmed. By sunrise the battle had ended and Santa Auna entered the Alamo compound to survey the scene of his victory
While the facts surrounding the siege of the Alamo continue to be debated, there is no doubt about what the battle has come to symbolize. People worldwide continue to remember the Alamo as a heroic struggle against overwhelming odds--a place where men made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. For this reason the Alamo remains hallowed ground and the Shrine of Texas Liberty.
"If we succeed, the Country is ours. It is immense in extent, and fertile in its soil and will amply reward all our toil. If we fail, death in the cause of liberty and humanity is not cause for shuddering. Our rifles are by our side, and choice guns they are, we know what awaits us, and are prepared to meet it. "
Daniel Cloud December 26, 1835 (En route to San Antonio)
The Alamo: Past and Present
The Alamo in l836
The Alamo in 1836 occupied the grounds and buildings of former Mission San Antonio de Valero. Used as a military post since the early 1800s, the Texians had barricaded openings and mounted at least nineteen cannon before the 13-day siege.
1 The North Wall (Travis' position)
2 The Palisade (Crockett's position)
3 The Long Barrack (Infantry and Artillery quarters)
4 The Low Barrack (Bowie's quarters)
5 Position of the 18-pound cannon
6 Alanro Headquarters
7 Church (Powder magazine, quarters, artillery position)
8 South Redoubt (earthworks)
9 North Redoubt (earthworks)
The Alamo Today
Today, the Alamo's grounds and buildings present a serene environment where visitors can contemplate nearly 300 years of history.
A The Shrine. The Shrine is dedicated to the memory of the men who fell in defense of the Alamo.
B Long Barrack Museum. Built using the remains of the original Long Barrack, the museum opened in 1968 and houses exhibits on the Alamo's historic past as well as the Clara Driscoll Theater.
C The DRT Library. Dedicated in 1950, the DRT Library contains books and documents on Texas History.
D Sales Museum. Built in 1936, the Sales Museum contains both the gift shop and exhibits on Texas History
E Alamo Hall. A former San Antonio city fire station, the building now serves as a meeting hall.
F Cavalry Courtyard. This area was used as a stock pen during the siege.
G Acequia. The waterway marks the remains of the irrigation system that served the Spanish communities along the San Antonio River.
H Stone Walls and Arcade. The stone walls and arches that surround the Alamo have been erected since the 1920s.
I Comfort Area. Rest rooms, vending machines and benches are located at the rear of the Alamo grounds.
J Convento Courtyard. The well dates back to the Mission Period.
K Wall of History Dedicated in 1997, this outdoor exhibit tells the history of the Alamo from mission to modern times.
Monday-Saturday: 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Sunday: 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
The Alamo complex is open every day of the year except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day,
Admission Free
The Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT) have been entrusted by the Texas State legislature since 1905 with the care and maintenance of The Alamo. According to Texas Law the DRT must preserve the historic site "as a sacred memorial to the heroes who immolated themselves upon that hallowed ground." With no monetary help from local, state, or federal government, the DRT depends solely on money from donations and proceeds from the gift shop to preserve the complex and maintain exhibits.
The Alamo
P.O.Box 2599 San Antonio, Texas 78299
Tel:(210)225-1391 Fax:(210)229-1343
http://www.TheAlamo.org
Photograph on front cover by Sue Flanagan, Daniel Cloud Letter and all images courtesy of the Daughter of the Republic of Texas Library.
