The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas
The Alamo is Texas' most legendary landmark and marks the turning point in the Texas Revolution to win independence from Mexico. The Battle of the Alamo inspired Texans to drive the Mexicans out and became a rallying cry that would never be forgotten. The site of the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, today the Alamo in San Antonio, TX houses a museum and draws visitors from around the world. The Alamo is designated a U.S. Historic District Contributing Property and a U.S. National Historic Landmark. The Alamo is also listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. For more information about The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, please visit www.thealamo.org.
San Antonio, Texas Alamo Hotels.
Spend the day exploring Texas' most famous landmark, and then return home to the many comforts of the Holiday Inn Express Fiesta. Our San Antonio, TX hotel features an ideal blend of modern living amenities and well-appointed accommodations nearby Riverwalk, San Antonio Zoo and Aquarium, Six Flags Fiesta, University Of Texas, San Antonio, and Sea World San Antonio. Designed to suit business and pleasure travelers alike, guests of our San Antonio, Texas hotel enjoy complimentary Start Smart Breakfast, free Wi-Fi, fitness center, outdoor swimming pool, elegant meeting facilities and state-of-the-art Business Center.
The Alamo Mission.
The Alamo itself is actually a mission building. Constructed as a fortified Roman Catholic mission in the 18th century, the Mission San Antonio de Valero was built as a place where Native American Indians could be educated and converted to Christianity. The Alamo was abandoned by Catholic missionaries by the turn of the century, and was established as housing for the Mexican Army by 1803. After the Battle of the Alamo, the United States Army used the mission until 1876, at which time it was abandoned in favor of the newly built Fort Sam Houston. The chapel at the Alamo was sold to the state of Texas and the remaining buildings were sold to a company which used the building as a wholesale grocery store. To learn more about the history of the Alamo, visit www.thealamo.org/battle/battle.php.
The Battle for the Alamo.
The Alamo was saved from falling into further disrepair by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT), which launched efforts to save the Alamo in the late 19th century. By 1905, founding members Clara Driscoll and Adina Emilia de Zavala of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas had successfully lobbied the Texas state legislature to appoint the DRT custodians of the Alamo. Soon after, Driscoll and de Zavala became embroiled in their own "Battle of the Alamo," this time for control over restoration of the mission. The Battle of the Alamo was a 13-day siege that started in February 1836, but the war between Driscoll and de Zavala raged for six years. In 1912, the Texas governor Oscar B. Colquitt briefly took control of the Alamo, but it was given back to the DRT soon after. The Texas legislature has tried numerous times to transfer control of the Alamo to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department from the DRT. In 1994, then-governor George W. Bush promised any attempt to take the Alamo away from the DRT would be vetoed by him. For more information about visiting the Alamo, go to www.thealamo.org/visitors/overview.php.
