The Alamo Announces the Acquisition of the Donald and Louise Yena Spanish Colonial Collection

The Alamo is pleased to announce the acquisition of the "Donald and Louise Yena Spanish Colonial Collection" during National Hispanic Heritage Month. The new collection will illustrate how Texas changed and evolved as a Spanish colonial settlement in the early 18th century and during Mexico's fight for independence from Spain. The collection will explore tools and weapons used during Spanish colonial mission life, when the Alamo was still known as Mission San Antonio de Valero, and before the historic battle in 1836.

The collection is comprised of more than 400 artifacts used for survival by early Spanish settlers and native people of the American Southwest. It includes swords, knives, cannons, firearms, lances, kitchen utensils, ranching instruments, agricultural tools, blacksmith items, paintings and more. The artifacts will help to delineate what frontier life was like and will be displayed in the Alamo Collections Center—scheduled to open in early 2023.

The acquisition of this collection has been a multi-year process carried out by the Alamo Trust, Inc., the Texas General Land Office, and the owners of the artifacts, Mr. Donald Yena, and his wife, Mrs. Louise Yena. Mr. Yena, a well-known Western Artist, began collecting artifacts with his wife during the 1950s and has used them for accuracy and detail in his artwork. His latest projects include six large-scale paintings depicting life in early Spanish Texas and the Battle of the Alamo. Mr. and Mrs. Yena have generously donated these paintings to the Alamo to be added to the Alamo Collection.

"We are excited to see our historical collection go to somewhere as unique and revered as the Alamo," said Mr. Donald Yena. "It is important to the Yena family that we share our art and artifacts with not only the people of San Antonio, but the Alamo's many visitors from around the world."

 "We are thrilled to announce the major addition of the Donald and Louise Yena Spanish Colonial Collection," said Kate Rogers, Executive Director of the Alamo Trust, Inc. "The historical collection will help provide an extraordinary view of early 18-century frontier life for our visitors, from when the Alamo was founded nearly 300 years ago to the dawn of the Texas Revolution. We are grateful to Donald and Louise Yena for working with the Alamo's staff over the last several years to obtain this collection, which will be displayed in the new Alamo Collections Center that will open early next year."

About Alamo Trust, Inc. | Located in the heart of San Antonio, the Alamo serves as a sacred memorial to all those who lived, fought and died there. Visitors pay homage to the heroes of the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, a defining moment in Texas History. Alamo Trust, Inc., or the Alamo, tells that story of Texas independence, as part of its 300-year history to over 1.6 million visitors every year. To visit the Alamo is to witness living history, experience authentic artifacts and admire an iconic landmark that shaped the country. Visit theAlamo.org.