The Alamo Still Inspires

"It's so small," the woman said. "There was supposed to be a big battle fought here, but it's just a small building."

"That's the point, lady," I thought. In April of 1836, 189 Texans and Tejanos gave their life defending this small mission. That losing battle was the focal point of the Texas fight for independence from Mexico. That's the legacy of the Alamo, the legendary shrine in San Antonio.

That disappointed tourist had a point though. The original compound was about double the size of today's tourist site. Time and commercialization has dramatically reduced its size.

The current structure was little more than the headquarters and a place for women and children to hide during the battle. The original walls of the fort extended out beyond today's Alamo Plaza, but those were overtaken by commercial development years ago.

Today's tourist can visit only the old mission building and the convent barracks - used as a soldier's barracks and hospital by the Alamo defenders. But then, little was left when the defenders first arrived there in 1836.

Built in 1718 as the Mission San Antonio de Valero, the adobe church was already 118 years old and falling into disrepair when the defenders gathered there. Their early days in the facility were spent making repairs and converting its crumbling walls into a defensible fort.

The Texans took control of the mission following a battle in December 1835, when they defeated the Mexican troops in the city. That victory was only temporary, because Santa Anna would soon lead an army to recapture the town and to teach the rebellious gringos a lesson.

The local defenders knew the Mexican general would be coming through San Antonio. The Alamo was their first line of defense. If he could be defeated here, or at least delayed until a full army of Texans could be gathered, they could still win the fight against Mexico.

The local military leaders - William Barrett Travis and Jim Bowie - understood the importance of the location. Travis, in particular, was willing to fight to the death to defend the old mission. When Bowie became seriously ill, and full command of the fort fell to Travis, the decision was made.

They tried to get help. On three occasions, Travis sent out messengers seeking reinforcements. Only two groups responded - a contingent of 32 from the nearby city of Gonzalez and a group of Tennesseans headed by Davy Crockett.

Santa Anna and his 4,000 soldiers arrived on February 23, 1836. Officially, the battle took 13 days. Twelve of those days, though, were mostly a siege as Santa Anna surrounded the fort and prepared for an all-out assault. When he launched that assault before daybreak on March 6, the battle was over by sunrise.

Nearly all of the defenders were killed in the fight. A handful of defenders, including Davy Crockett, were apparently captured alive but soon executed. A few women and children, and one slave, were allowed to live.

The bodies of the dead were tossed into a pile and set afire. Today their ashes are interred in nearby San Fernando Cathedral. The cornerstone for that historic Cathedral was laid in 1738.

What's left of the fort today still draws tourists in search of its story. A sign at the mission door asks that individuals please remain reverently quiet and to turn off their cell phones. No photos are allowed either.

Inside, the few rooms of the mission have been converted into historic display areas. Visitors can see one of Crockett's guns, one of his law books, a beaded Buckskin vest owned by the frontiersman, a Bowie knife, and dozens of other artifacts from the battle. There's also a small treasure from Santa Anna - a gold snuff box that the general gave to Sam Houston after the Texas leader spared the general's life when the Texans surprised the Mexicans and won the pivotal battle new San Jacinto..

The most moving display, however, is a series of plaques with the names and home states of those who died. Some remain nameless, identified only by where they were from or by a first name only.

Once you get past the names of Crockett, Travis and Bowie, though, most of those defenders fall into that category - heroes who are unknown to today's public.

Those who want to know more about their sacrifice can visit the nearby Rivercenter Mall. Its IMAX theater offers a giant retelling of the Alamo saga in its feature film, "Alamo . . . The Price of Freedom. "

Visitors to the Alamo should also take a few minutes to visit some other nearby sites. The Menger Hotel sits across the street on the southern side. It has hosted numerous famous visitors during its years of service; Teddy Roosevelt, in fact, used the hotel's bar to recruit a group of fighters that became known to the world as the Rough Riders.

The Alamo Plaza, in front of the Menger Hotel, is sometimes the site of local festivals and provides a venue for street performers. Our visit included a chance to see traditional dances reflecting both Mexican and Native American heritages.

The Emily Morgan Hotel is on the north side of the Alamo. The hotel isn't particularly historic, but it's the only site in the town named after the woman who inspired the song, "Yellow Rose of Texas."

Emily West Morgan was a young mulatta woman who drew the attention of Santa Anna following the battle. He kidnapped her and took her with him as he chased after Sam Houston and the other Texans.

Local legends attribute his interest in Emily as the cause for his distraction and subsequent loss to Houston at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836. That story eventually became the basis for a folk song that bandleader Mitch Miller converted into the hit tune,"Yellow Rose of Texas."

Those who prefer more "touristy" stops need only to cross to the western side of Alamo Plaza where they can find three popular tourist museums - Ripley's Believe It or Not, the Guinness World Records Museum, and a wax museum. Plenty of gift shops line the street.

The Alamo Visitor Center, housed in the Menger Hotel, offers "hop on, hop off" trolley tours that include Mission Concepcion and Mission San Jose - two portions of a string of missions originally built by Spanish missionaries. Other stops include historic Market Square, the Institute of Texan Cultures, and the arts village of La Villita.

Boat tours of the city's picturesque River Walk (aka, "Paseo del Rio") can be purchased inside the Rivercenter Mall. A portion of the re-routed San Antonio River snakes inside the mall area. The walk is peppered with a variety of restaurants and bars that make it the center of San Antonio's night life. Prices for the tours start at $6.50 per person.

But the centerpiece of the center remains the Alamo - a small, run down mission that reminds one of heroes and the price of heroism.