Alamo Mission

The Alamo in San Antonio began as a Spanish Franciscan mission founded in 1718 and was later converted into a military garrison. It gained enduring fame during the thirteen-day siege of February–March 1836, when roughly 180 Texan defenders — among them Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett — held out against a Mexican army many times their size under General Santa Anna before being overrun. The battle cry 'Remember the Alamo' galvanized the Texas independence movement and inspired Sam Houston's decisive victory at San Jacinto just weeks later. Today the compound is part of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed San Antonio Missions and draws over three million visitors annually. The restored chapel and the Long Barracks museum display weapons, documents, and personal effects of the defenders, and admission remains free.