Remember the Alamo!

The Alamo is quite a sight to see. My exploration of the battle grounds was very interesting and educating. The exhibits were well preserved and the historical information was accurate. However, the question lingers, were the brave warriors of the Alamo each portrayed equally without bias? The answer lies in the halls of the long barrack and in the exhibits in the shrine.
In the Anglo perspective of the Alamo, I saw many artifacts. For example, the first place I visited was the sales museum and saw a collection of Bowie knives. Many men fought in the Alamo that was of Anglo heritage. In the Shrine, there was a new open exhibit in the rooms that displayed William Travis’ rifle. These are just two of the astounding heroes that sacrificed their lives in the Battle of the Alamo.
In the Mexican perspective there was also physical history displayed. In the long barracks, a Mexican uniform was exhibited next to a Texan uniform. This showed the difference of color and style worn by the men who participated in the battle.
In the Tejanos perspective there was some presentations about couriers like Juan Seguin, but overall very little exhibitions.
The presentation of history in the Alamo is bias. There are more exhibits focusing on the Anglo settlers than that of the Tejanos or Mexican point of view. The Alamo is portrayed as a war between all Mexicans and all Anglos. It is viewed as all the “bad” Mexicans were attacking the heroic Anglo settlers. What is not clearly presented is the help of the Tejanos and Mexicans to the Texan cause of liberation. Many Hispanics helped in the battle and surrounding events. Also, Mexico is often overlooked as a horrible country in this frame of history but no one takes the time to understand that the Mexicans were completely justified in the actions they took towards the rebellious Texans. Santa Anna was a cruel leader and did go about things the wrong way; however, one way or another Mexicans needed to protect their territory. The Alamo is an excellent place to see history, but I believe some needed respect to other heroes is definitely in order!

In 1745 a crucial part of the San Antonio Mission’s history was built and introduced to the Indigenous people and sacred land of Texas. The Spanish brought many different and new technologies with them to Texas. Many of which included the irrigation systems or as the Spanish would say, las acequias. The job of the irrigation ditches was to bring water from the creek or river to the Mission’s grounds or gardens. In order to redirect the steady flow of water to the various needs of the Mission, the Espada Dam was constructed.
As I walked the path that trailed the flow of water, I remembered who had made this incredible arrangement. I thought of who had walked these trails day after day to support life in an interlocking organization developed by the Spanish and Native Americans. As I strolled near the stream, history and nature combined into the most serene place a person could encounter. The weather was sunny but beneath the shade of the small long-limbed trees was a cool breeze and the walk could not have been more enjoyable. In the days of the missions, I imagined at the time of my stroll women and men alike would be bathing or swimming in the river to escape the sting of the sun. And in those days, that was the point of building so close to a river, to have access to bathe, swim, or even power a mill for the agriculture. I felt the presence, for I was alone, of our ancestors with me as I made my way to the dam. When I arrived to see the magnificence of the rushing water, a breeze suddenly hit me as if to wrap around my whole body and surround my soul with the spirits of those who had died trying to live. Never have I ever felt so at one with my heritage. The scene was interesting because the stones look so prehistoric but still do the job they were assigned so long ago. I sat as close as I could get to the actual dam in the green but dry grass meditating and relaxing to the sounds of birds and bugs. There is much brush in the area that has overgrown some of the historical stones. It would be hard to explain how this physical history can overwhelm a person in an extremely positive manner, but it does nothing but that.
The impact of the dam on the missions was astounding. Not only did it provide water, but it channeled water to the different places of work such as the crop fields. A better way to think of how the dam and irrigation systems impacted the missions is to ask the question of what would it have been like to not have las acequias and the dam at the missions? No irrigation system would have meant bringing pale by pale of spilling water to each area of need every single day for several hours. Not to mention they would have had to have an immense amount of stable water pales. A bigger problem would have been keeping the crops well nourished with water. Could anyone imagine those giant fields of harvest at least 500 feet away from the river being watered pale by pale? The work at the missions was already grueling labor for the Spanish but especially the Indigenous people who were just about forced to be there anyways. The dam and irrigation was no water hose or sprinkler system but indeed assisted the civilians of the missions a great deal considering the alternative.
In conclusion, I believe in history and in anything that can educate people of different cultures to realize how we all come together one way or another. These missions are of great importance to the past, present, and future generations. The dam of Mission Espada for instance is powerful and beautiful to witness. It holds the key to some of the success in the missions. Today we see stones overgrown with brush, but those stones have significance that exceeds splendor.

Mission Espada was one of the oldest missions in Texas. It was established around 1731 and had been operational until about the 1900’s. There is much culture and history in this mission. As I walked on the choppy stone paths linked with clay that is decades old, I saw what the Indigenous people of south Texas had built. The Spanish came to this world that we now know as Texas in times that are ancient to our ears.
The missions were built to convert the Indians to Christianity and also help establish the Spanish in what is now America. In those times, the Indians were rallied together like livestock on the open prairie to come and serve Spain by building and keeping these old missions. Back then, however, they were not old but brand-new in this country. Most Indians had never even seen this type of architecture let alone be forced to leave their previous culture and adopt a new foreign way of life.
However, this intrusion upon the Natives proved to be something extremely positive. With the Spanish came technology and the mixing of customs.
Located near the banks of the San Antonio River, the mission used acequias to irrigate the land and growing crops. This technology paved the way for agricultural advancement. Many different trades were assigned to the workers of the mission such as blacksmith, stonemason, carpenter, etc. The missions were diverse and made with the blood and sweat of our ancestors. A visit in the walls of this hallowed ground is to feel the spirit of nature itself. The church was an exceptional place. Even the holy water was still using the same draining system as if the mission’s people had not even left, but remained sitting in the wooden pews, waiting for mass at dawn before a long day of never ending labor. If they only knew that their work would remain as precious history protected in the heart of a true San Antonian.