History and humour

San Antonio, TX – The wakeup call today was early, as we had booked a bus tour and were being picked up at the campground at 8:15.  We dressed in layers, but Val and I were both wishing we’d worn our winter jackets after a few hours in chilly and windy conditions.

After doing the rounds of pickups, David, our driver and guide, took us to the Alamo, a former Spanish mission where more than 200 Texans were killed by Mexicans in 1863 during the Texas Revolution. Among the dead were James Bowie (the Bowie knife is named after him) and David Crockett, of coonskin cap fame.

Our tour highlighted the diverse history of the area, where Japanese, Chinese, German, Polish and Czechoslovakian immigrants settled at various periods, not to mention the large Hispanic and Black communities who still live here.  We saw a beautiful sunken garden with koi ponds and pagodas, built in 1915 by the Japanese and taken over later on by Chinese owners. 

The River Walk was next on the tour.  The San Antonio River flows through the centre of town, where restaurants and businesses on its banks draw tourists and residents to enjoy its beautifully landscaped tributaries.  Tour boats glide along the water, piloted by guides wearing straw hats.  In the high season, musical groups serenade passers by, and café patrons sip drinks and enjoy Tex-Mex fare under brightly coloured umbrellas.  It was an enchanting part of the city.

At mid-day, David dropped us off near the Alamo to explore the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum, a fascinating place where thousands of horns, antlers, hunting trophies and other stuffed creatures were on display.  There were chairs made of bulls’ horns, framed pictures formed by rattlesnakes’ rattles, a marine display of sharks and other fish, plus artifacts from the Texas Rangers, a believe-it-or-not section of weird specimens like shrunken heads and a display, including a bullet-riddled replica of the death car, about Bonnie and Clyde!

After lunch at the saloon, we walked back to the Alamo to explore the shrine and the restored Long Barracks, and see a short film about the siege and battle. We learned that an organization called the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, dating back to the 1800s, was responsible for the preservation and restoration of the grounds.  Their fund-raising, plus visitors’ donations, keep the site going without dependence on government support.

Our next stop was at the Mission San Juan, at the southern end of the city.  Missions sprang up all over the Texas territory when it was under Spanish rule as a means of settling the area.  Franciscan brothers welcomed native hunting-and-gathering groups to move inside the compound walls where they found protection from the elements and enemies, regular food that they learned to cultivate themselves, religious instruction, and a greater sense of community. Spain, in turn, established a stronger foothold in the region as they expanded their territory.  The Mission Concepcion, our last stop, features original painted frescoes, and continues to hold services to this day.