Remembering the Alamo

     The Alamo is a small church built with thick adobe walls.  Another thick adobe wall encircles the church and the other mission buildings which amounts to about a football field size area.  On February 23, 1836, after a grueling winter march, General Antonio López de Santa Anna and his army arrived at San Antonio to put down a frontier rebellion. About 200 San Antonio residents retreated to the Alamo to defend themselves against Santa Anna.  They were doctors, lawyers, farmers, young boys, and David Crocket and James Bowie.  The women and children retreated to the inner rooms of the church while the men sought to defend them against the 2500 trained soldiers in Santa Anna's army.  They fought to the death and only a few women and children were spared.  It wasn't until ten years later after the U.S. / Mexican War that Texas finally was free of Mexico and able to join the Union.

    The Alamo is designated as a shrine to the men who died trying to gain freedom for Texas. Texans seem to be very passionate about the history surrounding this battle, as well as the battle several months later between General Sam Houston and Santa Anna in which Houston surprised the larger Mexican force. Texan forces defeated the Mexican troops and captured Santa Anna to the cries of “Remember the Alamo!”
    The focus of the displays at the Alamo relate to the battle and do a great job of describing the role the Alamo played in the history of Texas.  But the mission has lost its role as a community church.  The site is very central in San Antonio and has become a major sightseeing attraction.  We enjoyed learning the history and seeing the restored buildings, but we liked the quiet of the churches on the Mission Trail that we visited yesterday much more.
     To learn more about the history of the whole city we took a double decker bus tour which left from Alamo Square.  One of the tour stops was a large, open air market - El Mercado.  We hopped off the bus and had lunch outdoors at a Southwest / Mexican restaurant and then did a little shopping at the many souvenir vendors.  The day was warm and sunny - just perfect for all of our outdoor adventures.