Remember the Alamo

When Spanish explorer Alonso Álvarez de Pineda first explored and mapped the Texas coast in 1519, two worlds - European and indigenous American - became destined to collide. Instead of the fabled ocean passage between Spanish Mexico and the "island of Florida," Álvarez de Pineda discovered land. For decades to come, European colonialists would attempt to explore its beautiful hills and plains, discover gold, control its life-giving springs and rivers, and conquer its many native peoples. During this time, the San Antonio area would become an important crossroads for European and indigenous American power.

In 1793, the Catholic Church relinquished control of Mission Valero, which became a self-governing community known as the Pueblo de Valero. But while eyes locally were focused on the distribution of mission lands, trouble was brewing both regionally and internationally. Threats on Tejas' borders with French Louisiana and America meant that by 1803, Valero had become a defensive fortress for the first time, occupied by a Spanish Army company known as La Segunda Compania Volante de San Carlos de Alamo de Parras - the Alamo Company for short. Then, in 1810, following the French invasion of Spain in 1808, years of unrest spilled over into war as Mexico sought independence from the Spanish crown. This was a violent time in San Antonio - of shifting allegiances and betrayal, but also of an emerging Texan identity.

Following the Texas Revolution, the Alamo's history mirrored that of the Republic of Texas and, after annexation, the United States. Having been left derelict for some years, the Alamo served as a staging post for the U.S. Army. It was during this expansion west that the Alamo’s famous parapet was added. During the Civil War, the Alamo was occupied by both the U.S. and Confederate armies. Control of the Alamo switched back to the U.S. Army when hostilities came to an end in 1865. This was a time of much upheaval and danger, which eventually led to an era of relative calm and peacefulness that allowed the City of San Antonio to grow.