San Antonio, Gateway to the Heart of Texas
Remembering the Alamo, Urban Revival, & Pride in this Tejano Hub
Dec 20, 2008
Some might argue that San Antonio was the birthplace of Texas. The claim is a good one; San Antonio has been the gateway to Texas since the 17th century. A visitor could be well-advised to begin an introduction to Tejano culture and the heart of Texas right here in the second largest city in the state.
The Importance of the Alamo to Texas
The main route from Mexico into Texas was the Mission Trail. The Alamo was the first of the Five Missions, which employed a system of irrigated fields and mission enclosures which first integrated the native Coahuilicans to European and Catholic culture. It was along this part of the San Antonio River that a Spanish expedition in 1691 first set up a presidio or outpost fort. By 1793, the settlement had 250 people, augmented by Canary Island/Spanish emigrés, and had established the first civil government in the Province of Texas. By 1835 there were 5,000 Tejanos (Mexican settlers) and 30,000 Anglos in Texas.
Mexican President Santa Anna followed the Mission Trail in 1836 to quell a Texas Rebellion. San Antonio was the first line of defence against Mexico and the jumping off point to the more populous Hill Country. The thirteen-day siege at the Alamo, (Feb. 23-Mar. 6, 1836) helped to secure the independence of Texas, when Sam Houston's army, emboldened by the Alamo loss, defeated Santa Anna one month later at San Jacinto. Remembering heroes like Davy Crockett, James Bowie, William Travis and Juan Sequin attract over 2.5 million visitors each year.
Urban Revival Maintains History
Tejano culture (anglo and hispanic) flourishes in San Antonio. Historic buildings have been saved and put to urban use, such as
- La Villita or little village, which was San Antonio's first neighbourhood. It illustrates the architectural evolution from palisado to Victorian, and is now an artisans' enclave
- El Mercado, the largest Mexican marketplace outside of Mexico, is a plaza of Mex-Tex restaurants and Mexican artifact bargains from wrestlng masks to sombreros
- River Walk was developed with foresight after disastrous flooding. Boat tours point out a plaque to designer R. Hugman on the Clifford Bldg. Now it is a 2.5 mile walkway that includes an original 1949 Mexican restaurant, outdoor theatre and modern hotels
- Museums like the Texas Ranger Museum and the Witte Museum of reconstructed log cabins or the San Antonio Museum of Art in a converted 19th century brewery or the Southwest School of Art and Craft in a 1851 Ursuline convent.
San Antonio Accomplishments
San Antonio has several in sports, cowboy culture and international events:
- four-time NBA champions, the San Antonio Spurs; the annual college Alamo Bowl; world class golf at "ole Brack", site of the Texas Open in 1922 or Riverside where Teddy Roosevelt trained his Roughriders in 1898.
- dude ranches less than one hour north into Hill Country like Bandera, "the Cowboy Capital of the World"
- site of the 1968 World's Fair with its 750 ft. Tower of the Americas landmark
As the Official Travel and Leisure Guide proclaims, San Antonio is "Deep In The Heart" of Texas and Texans. Its explorable city centre and environs is a way to feel the beat of that culture.
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