Richard Flynn :: no comment

Tourists today come to San Antonio for two principal reasons: to see the Alamo, and the River Walk. San Antonio was a distinct relief after hot and dreary Austin—here finally was a city which was much more hospitable to the tourist on foot.

The Alamo

The Alamo is the site of a show of brave Texan spirit. In 1836 about 200 people fighting for Texan independence were besieged by the Mexican president, General Santa Anna. After thirteen days, they were driven out and slaughtered by columns of Mexican soldiers. The Alamo is thus firmly lodged in the Texan state consciousness, as it symbolizes the Texan spirit of independence, being an example of great courage in the face of adversity. The only thing is, it would have been considerably more remarkable if they had in fact succeeded in defending the Alamo—a real David and Goliath story—but, as it is, we have a story of some men getting besieged and then getting defeated by the far stronger army which surrounded them. Say what you like about spirit of independence—and it is remarkable that they were able to hold out for so long—but it was still a resounding defeat.

I suspect as a result that your reaction to visiting the Alamo today depends on whether or not you are a Texan. The site today is laid out as a shrine to the men who died in its defence, with strict enjoinments to remove all hats, and an aura of hushed silence inside. To my outsider’s eyes this all seemed massively overdone. I wonder if there is an equivalent tourist destination in Mexico which takes an opposing viewpoint? Or if one day the Mexicans will be forced to say ‘sorry’ to the families of the brave Texans who lost their lives in the Texan revolution?

All over Texas—including in the Capitol in Austin—is the phrase ‘Remember the Alamo’. As my mind wandered, I began to work through different ways of punctuating the three-word phrase to give completely different meanings. Here are some of the ones I came up with: ¹

• ‘Remember the Alamo!’—a wife wants her husband to pick up an Alamo for dinner tonight.
• ‘Remember? The Alamo?’—two girls revising for their Texan History exam: one has forgotten and is being reminded by the other of that important step in the path to Texan independence.
• ‘Remember ‘the’, Alamo?’—a little Spanish boy being corrected sarcastically by his school teacher since he can’t remember the definite article in English.

Can anyone think of any more?

San Antonio River Walk

When it comes down to it, there’s little reason why the San Antonio River Walk should be as much of a tourist draw as it is. It is just really a series of pavements along a c. 4-mile stretch of the San Antonio river (from which the city takes its name) and associated canals. However, this is presented as one of the key attractions of the city, and I can understand why.

The paving along the side of the river is wide and smooth, and there are lots of trees and brightly-coloured flowers all along the route. As a result the walk is pleasant and shady. It is also much cooler than being on the street: you are about ten feet below street level, and rather than having a dry heat reflected back up at you from a wide street, the heat is absorbed by the water of the river. As a result, even though the temperature in San Antonio was about 100ºF every day I was there, I could happily eat outside at the restaurants along the river walk. Those restaurants are an added bonus: they are, I suppose, an application of that ‘café culture’ which I thought was so lacking in Austin. All in all, the river walk makes for a very pleasant way to spend your time in the centre of San Antonio.

San Fernando Cathedral and the Spanish Governor’s Palace

The cathedral of San Fernando is proudly described as the oldest cathedral in the United States still operating today. It was founded in 1731, which certainly makes it pretty old. It is very well maintained inside, as I hope my photographs show.

Rather than explaining the history of the Spanish Governor’s Palace in San Antonio in my own words, let me quote selectively from the leaflet I was given when I visited:

The Presidio de San Antonio de Béjar was the result of a rivalry between Spain and France in the early 1700s for dominance of the territory that is now a part of the southwestern United States. King Philip V of Spain ordered Don Martin de Alarcon, along with fifty soldiers, to build a mission and presidio between the San Antonio and San Pedro rivers. Upon Alarcon’s arrival in 1718 he found an Indian village encamped at the head of the San Antonio River and San Pedro Springs. On May 5th of that same year he established the Presidio de San Antonio de Béjar to protect the newly established Mission San Antonio de Valero. […]

This building, traditionally known as the Spanish Governor’s Palace, was the original Commandancia (residence and working office) for the Captain of the Presidio. After the threat of French encroachment in East Texas was gone, King Carlos III appointed the Marquis de Rubí inspector of frontier presidios. Rubí’s inspection resulted in the Royal Regulations of 1772 that ordered the capital of Spanish Texas be moved from the Presidio at Los Adaes, near Natchitoches in Louisiana, to the Presidio de San Antonio de Béjar. Rubí’s orders also stipulated that the Governor would move to San Antonio and take command of the presidio.

It’s a pretty little building, and worth a quick visit. However, I didn’t find much there to captivate me for very long.

All in all I greatly enjoyed my time in San Antonio. There are many things I didn’t do—including, for example, visiting the other former missions dotted around the outskirts of the city—but I was satisfied with what I did do and see, even if that did largely involve the relatively untaxing time spent on the river walk.