Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
sion that was meant to colonize and convert the native people and that would one day be
known simply as 'the Alamo.'
At the time, Texas belonged to Mexico, which in turn belonged to Spain, and things
stayed that way for nearly a hundred years after the Alamo was built. But after Mexico
won its independence from Spain in 1821, it wasn't long before Texas followed suit and
fought for its own independence from Mexico. One of the most important battles in the
Texas Revolution was the Battle of the Alamo, where patriots fought to the death to de-
fend the former mission. For more on the 13-day siege of the Alamo in 1836,
Click here
.
After Texas won its independence, San Antonio boomed as a cattle town. European set-
tlers moved to the area, including vast numbers of Germans and Czechs, and the Germans
built the city's King William area, named for Kaiser Wilhelm I of Prussia.
In 1879, Fort Sam Houston was established by the US Army. It was joined by Kelly Air
Force Base in 1917 and then later by Lackland, Randolph and Brooks Air Force bases.
Much of San Antonio's 20th-century growth was a result of the military's presence, al-
though tourism will always be an important industry - thanks to the 300-year-old mission
that sits right in the heart of downtown.
Sights
Downtown's major north-south arteries include Broadway St and Main Ave. East-west
thoroughfares include Commerce St, Market St and Houston St. The intersection of Com-
merce and Losoya Sts is the very heart of downtown and below street level is the River-
walk, a developed canal loop off the San Antonio River.
