We are in the Lone Star State (Texas) and today we visited the Alamo in San Antonio.
Originally the Alamo was a mission named Mision San Antonio de Valero and was home to the missionaries and their native converts for nearly seventy years.
In the early 1800's the Spanish military stationed a cavalry unit in the former mission. The soldiers began calling it the Alamo, which is the Spanish word for cottonwood, in honor of their hometown Alamo de Parras, Coahuila. The first recorded hospital in Texas was established at the Alamo.
For the next ten years the Alamo was held by both the Revolutionaries and Royalists during Mexico's struggle for independence.
In December 1835 Ben Milan led Texan and Tejano (Texans of Mexican decent) volunteers in a five day battle resulting in their occupation of the Alamo.
On February 23 1836 General Antonio Lopez de San Anna with his army of Mexican soldiers attack the Alamo. The Texans and Tejanos held out for thirteen days and on the eight day a band of thirty two volunteers arrived from Goncales bringing their numbers to nearly two hundred.
The defenders saw the Alamo as the key to the defence of Texas and were ready to give their lives to defend it so when Colonel Travis drew a line on the ground asking any man willing to stay and fight to step over it all but one did. David Crockett, famed frontiersman and former congressman from Tennessee was one of the Alamo's garrison.
This is part of the Long Barrack.
On March 6 1836 the Mexican soldiers stormed the Alamo's walls before daybreak. Canon and small arms fire beat back several attacks but, regrouping, the Mexicans eventually gained entrance to the compound. A desperate struggle continued until the defenders were overwhelmed. By sunrise the battle had ended and Santa Anna entered the compound to survey the scene of his victory
This is the courtyard.
On the afternoon of April 21 1836 the Texas army attacked Santa Anna's camp near Lynchburg Ferry. The Mexican army was taken by surprise and the battle was over in eighteen minutes. During the battle the Texican soldiers repeatedly cried "Remember the Alamo". Santa Anna was forced to order his troops out of Texas.
This is outside the sacristy which is were the women and children hid during the battle. They survived unscathed.
People worldwide remember the Alamo as a heroic struggle against impossible odds - a place where men made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.
It is amazing how so much of the original structure of the Alamo still exists.
These are original walls of the Alamo.
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