b'AThe Truth Behind TheLAMOThe 1836 con ict actually took place in what was then Mexico. White settlers, from across the US, were lured to the snake-infested state of Tejas (Spanish spelling, which means JONATHANfriend). They were promised farmland, and after settling, VAN BILSEN decided they wanted autonomy. Nearly 200 of these Texian, the new name for the rebels, One of my favourite cities to visit is San Antonio, deepoccupied the ruins of Mission San Antonio de Valero, nick-withintheheartofTexas.Iwroteanarticleaboutitfornamed the Alamo, after the Spanish word for cottonwood. Focus magazine in 2014, and talked about the city, its sightsOutmannedandoutgunnedbytheMexicanarmy,the and experiences. One of the more recognizable buildings inrebelswerenearlyallslaughteredandtheirbodieswere North America is the Alamo Mission, located in the centre ofburned on pyres in the adjacent plaza. The Texians lost that the old part of San Antonio. battle, but soon after, won their war for independence after The Alamo is best known for the battle between Texasdefeating Santa Anna at the battle of San Jacinto.and Mexico where the likes of Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie andFrom there, con icting stories of what really happened William Travis lost their lives, in an effort to gain freedom andbegan to surface. Today there is a$450 million plan to re-Independence for the territory of Texas. Interestingly enough,store the site. This aggressive scheme wants to preserve the the facts of what happened, have been lost through legendschapel (which is falling apart); close surrounding streets to and folklore, so today I am going to set the record straight. car traf c, and build new museums to tell the sites centuries-When Fess Parker, rode across the silver screen, wearinglong history. rst his famous raccoon skinned hat, Davey Crockett, Tennes- I remember seeing the Alamo Mission for thetime, see and the Alamo became household words. Tales of Texasand was shocked at how small it was. The museum is limitedThe beautiful Riverwalk stretches through downtown San Antonio.started to evolve and the bad guy, Mexican general, Santato a one-room building, and a few plaques stand in the sur-Anna, became a villain. rounding gardens. The other surprise I could not get over,was the Alamo sits in the centre of San Antonios bustlingality, he was captured and executed. Travis drew a line in the main square, not on a battle eld, as I expected. Ironically, asand with his sword and as the bell rang, the battle began. Ripleys Believe It or Not, a few souvenir shops and a waxUnfortunately, the bell was installed a decade later by the museum is right there on land where Mexican and TexianU.S. Army, when the chapel became a storeroom, and theline in the sand was a tall tale. ghters fell. To cap it, the average visitor spends 15 minutes at the Alamo, and 45 minutes at Ripleys. Texas mandates that school children be taught about the Another little known fact is the area in front of the Alamo isAlamo defenders using heroic language. Earlier this year, actually a graveyard, covered in a tiled, pedestrian walkway.aRepublicanstaterepresentativeintroducedlegislation Fighters on both sides, as well as Indigenous mission resi- to block the Alamo from mentioning slavery as one of the dents, died there and were covered with dirt. causes of the Texas revolution.The battle of the Alamo is a typical heroic tale of a handfulSinger Phil Collins has spent thousands of dollars amass-of good guys, annihilated by a massive, evil force. This ising a collection of artefacts from the battle of the Alamo. really not the case. Yes, they were outnumbered, but remem- These included a ri e, which was said to belong to Davey ber, the mission was not on their land. Some of theghtersCrocket, a fact that could not be proven. Recently, however, were slave owners,ghting to retain those rights. the initials D.C. appeared out of nowhere on the ri e.No sooner had the cannons ceasedring than the tales began to spin. Crockett went out ri e blazing, although in re- Please turn to page 40The Alamo Mission. The area in front is the burial place for many of the rebels and the Mexicans who died there. Many restaurants line the Riverwalk. San Jose Mission, one ofve in the area.FOCUS - MARCH 202239'