Alamo

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Alamo in San Antonio

The Alamo ( álamo Spanish for poplar ) is a former mission station in the Texan city of San Antonio that has been converted into a fort . It became famous for the Battle of the Alamo of the Texan War of Independence in 1835/1836 , when the defenders of the fort were finally defeated by Mexican troops . Alamo is today as part of the San Antonio Missions to the World Heritage in the United States of America .

history

After the laying of the foundation stone on May 8, 1744, the “Misión San Antonio de Valero” , or El Álamo for short , was built on the site of today's “The Alamo” museum , the predecessor of which had existed since 1718. The Spanish secularization ended the missionary work by Franciscans , which had been taking place since 1765, and dissolved the mission in 1793, the mission building had been used by a Spanish cavalry unit from the beginning of the 19th century, to which the name “Alamo” goes back: The soldiers came from Alamo de Parras , a city in the Mexican state of Coahuila . Another variant traces the name back to the Spanish word álamo , which referred to the poplars that made the mission station recognizable from afar and provided shade there.

Historical floor plan of the facility.

In the Mexican War of Independence (1815-1821) the Mexicans who rebelled against Spain captured the fort. The Texan War of Independence began on October 2, 1835 and eventually led to Texas ' independence from Mexico. During the course of this, "The Alamo" was occupied and fortified by the rebellious settlers in December 1835. The former governor of the US state of Tennessee , Sam Houston , took command of the Texas troops. When the Mexican general and President Santa Anna crossed the Rio Grande with 7,000 men to put down the rebellion, Houston's temporary withdrawal was covered by the approximately 200 defenders in the Alamo from February 23 to March 6, 1836. On March 2, 1836, Texas declared its independence from Mexico.

The leaders of the Alamo were 26-year-old Lieutenant Colonel William Travis , the almost 40-year-old adventurer James (Jim) Bowie and 49-year-old war hero and politician Davy Crockett . After 13 days of losing siege , “The Alamo” was stormed, almost all male defenders were killed, women and children largely spared. 189 people who died in defense of the Alamo are known by name. In total, however, it could have been up to 257. According to a journal entry by José Enrique de la Peña, not all of them fell in battle. Some fighters were captured (including Davy Crockett). The commanding general wanted to pardon her, but General Santa Anna ordered the execution of all male survivors.

With the battle cry "Remember the Alamo!" , The Texans under Houston won the decisive battle of San Jacinto at what is now Deer Park in Harris County three weeks later . Texas remained an independent republic for several years and joined the United States in 1845 .

reception

To this day, the struggle for the fort is one of the most important and often highly transfigured myths in US history , seen as a symbol of “courage and willingness to make sacrifices in the name of freedom” . In December 1960, the site was granted National Historic Landmark status. Alamo has been listed as a structure on the National Register of Historic Places since October 1966 . The structure is also a Contributing Property of the Alamo Plaza Historic District , which was established in July 1977. According to its own statements, the museum "The Alamo" attracts 2.5 million visitors annually, making it one of the most popular attractions in the country. Since July 5, 2015, the San Antonio Missions (San Antonio Spanish Missions), which also includes The Alamo , are a Unesco World Heritage Site.

The musician Phil Collins has made a special contribution to the memory of history. He collected countless objects, documents, illustrations and pictures and published them in March 2012 in his book The Alamo and Beyond: A Collector's Journey , a detailed historical outline of that time. In 2014, Collins donated almost all of this extensive collection to the Alamo Museum and the people of Texas, ensuring that the more than 200 unique pieces returned to where they came from as part of the historical heritage.

The events of the Battle of Alamo were often filmed, often romanticized. The best-known are the Alamo , directed by John Wayne (1960) and the 2004 film Alamo - The Dream, Fate, Legend by John Lee Hancock . Dimitri Tiomkin wrote the score for the former version , including the Ballad Of The Alamo . The Alamo also plays a central role in the comedy Pee-Wee's crazy adventure .

literature

  • Robert Wlodarski, Anne Powell Wlodarski: Spirits of the Alamo. A History of the Mission and its Hauntings. Plano / Texas: Republic of Texas Press 1999 ISBN 1-55622-681-0 .
  • Phil Collins : The Alamo and Beyond: A Collector's Journey . State House Press, 1st edition March 2012, ISBN 978-1-933337-50-0 .

Web links

Commons : The Alamo  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ thealamo.org/overview.html ( Memento from April 1, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State: Texas. National Park Service , accessed February 23, 2020.
  3. ^ Alamo, The on the National Register of Historic Places , accessed February 23, 2020.
  4. ^ Alamo Plaza Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places , accessed February 23, 2020.
  5. ↑ http://www.n24.de/n24/Wissen/Reise/d/6931564/-the-alamo--wird-unesco-weltkulturerbe.html
  6. ↑ British rock star Phil Collins has penned numerous # 1 and Top Ten hits on the record charts. In: thealamo.org. Retrieved January 18, 2019 .
  7. ↑ Rolling Stone: $ 100 million Phil Collins Alamo Collection in the Works

Coordinates: 29 ° 25 ′ 32 "  N , 98 ° 29 ′ 10"  W.