The Alamo

Overview

The Alamo is a former Spanish Catholic mission in downtown San Antonio and one of the best-known historic sites in the United States. It is remembered above all as the site of the 1836 Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution. Since 2015 it has been part of the San Antonio Missions UNESCO World Heritage Site.

History

The mission was founded in 1718 as Mission San Antonio de Valero by Spanish Franciscans, and a hurricane led to its move to the current site in 1724. A first stone church was begun in 1744 but collapsed; the church that stands today was begun in 1756 and was never fully completed. After the mission was secularized in the 1790s, a Spanish cavalry company from Álamo de Parras in Coahuila was stationed there, and the compound came to be known as the Alamo.

In February 1836, Mexican forces under General Antonio López de Santa Anna laid siege to the compound, which was held by Texian defenders including William B. Travis, James Bowie and Davy Crockett. The siege ended on March 6, 1836, when Mexican troops stormed the mission and nearly all of the defenders were killed. "Remember the Alamo!" became a rallying cry for the Texian army, which defeated Santa Anna at San Jacinto on April 21, 1836.

Today

The State of Texas bought the church in 1883. For much of the 20th century, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas cared for the site, and the Texas General Land Office took over in 2015. The church and Long Barrack are open to visitors, and a large redevelopment of Alamo Plaza and a new museum have been under way in recent years.