The mission at Alamo was founded in 1718 as the first mission in San Antonio and one of the oldest Spanish missions in Texas. It was established, among other reasons, to educate the Native Americans who were being Christianized. After several decades, in 1793, it was secularized and abandoned. Over the years, it primarily served as a stop for travelers between eastern Texas and Mexico. Ten years later, in 1803, the Mexican army repurposed the old mission as a military outpost and named it Alamo. In 1835, during the Texas War of Independence, it was captured by Texans and occupied for several months, until the famous battle in March 1836.
The defense of the Alamo ended in defeat for the defenders. Only two hundred Texans defended the mission, holding out for 13 days against a Mexican army of over three thousand. All the Texan soldiers were killed, including the most famous among them: William Travis, James Bowie, and David Crockett. A few slaves, women, and children were spared to spread the word of the devastating defeat. Instead of weakening the fighting spirit of the Texan revolutionaries, the testimony of the survivors had the opposite effect. The heroism and steadfastness of the Alamo defenders in the face of overwhelming enemy force became a symbol of resistance, and the army gathered by General Houston, in the victorious Battle of San Jacinto, attacked the Mexicans shouting “Remember the Alamo.” The names of the defenders of the mission, except for one unknown soldier, are now engraved on a memorial plaque in the main building of the mission.
Descendants of those who died at the Alamo continue to take pride in their ancestors to this day. Having a defender of the Alamo in the family is a source of pride and carries an almost aristocratic connotation. After the victorious war with Mexico, Texas was, for a brief period, an independent nation and was admitted to the Union as an equal state. This history remains in the consciousness of its residents. The Texas flag, unlike any other state flag, has the right to fly at the same height as the American flag. Unless the flags are on the same pole, in which case the American flag flies at the top. To this day, Texans call themselves the “Lone Star State,” and the Alamo remains a living national symbol and part of their identity.