Texas
Iconic Alamo site celebrates special 189th anniversary: ‘Fabric of who we are as Texans’
The Battle of the Alamo
Learn more about the Battle of the Alamo with John Richardson, a historian with Alamo Trust, Inc. in San Antonio, Texas.
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Thursday marks the 189th anniversary of the Battle of the Alamo, where the Mexican army’s rout of Texas revolutionaries would later inspire the fateful defeat of Mexican forces under the battle cry “Remember the Alamo.”
The Spanish mission-turned-battleground is one of Texas’s most iconic locations, symbolizing state pride and independence and one of its most popular tourist attractions. Established in 1718 as Mission San Antonio de Valero and relocated to its current location six years later, the site that came to be known as the Alamo was one of five Spanish missions built along the San Antonio River in what is now South Texas.
“The Alamo battle is part of the fabric of who we are as Texans,” said Kolby Lanham, the Alamo’s senior researcher and historian.
But it’s also a source of debate over how history is recalled and by whom, as some strive to offer perspectives that counter the mythology surrounding the event.
The buildup to the battle
Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821. Texas was a contested territory, and by 1836 the Alamo had become a military outpost as Texans fought to win independence.
That February, 189 Texan soldiers commanded by James Bowie and William Travis had locked themselves inside the mission walls as Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna’s Mexican army approached, intent on a siege. Among those inside taking up arms against the Mexican forces were folk legend Davy Crockett, a Tennessee congressman, and Texans of Mexican descent, or Tejanos.
On Feb. 24, as Mexican troops amassed to several thousand strong and the two sides traded sporadic gunfire, Travis wrote a now-famous missive “to the people of Texas and all Americans in the world” pleading for reinforcements.
“I shall never surrender or retreat,” he wrote. “…. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country.”
Travis signed off, “Victory or Death.”
Why was the Battle of the Alamo significant?
By the morning of March 6, Santa Anna’s troops, numbering nearly 5,000, attacked at dawn. They quickly breached the mission’s north walls, overwhelming the occupants and killing nearly all of them.
“It becomes a rallying call for the Texas Revolution,” Lanham said. “Many people who maybe weren’t involved or who had sat on the fence joined the cause.”
Six weeks later on April 21, led by Sam Houston’s army and shouting “Remember the Alamo,” the Texans defeated Mexican forces at the Battle of San Jacinto, capturing Santa Anna and forcing the withdrawal of his troops.
The victory earned Texas independence. The territory would remain independent until 1845, when its Legislature approved United States annexation.
“With that final battle, Texas becomes a nation,” said Lanham, whose ancestors fought in the conflict. “When it joined the union, Texas already had this big, bold identity that came along with it, and people haven’t lost sight of that.”
Three years later, after the Mexican-American War, the U.S. would obtain most of what is now the American Southwest with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
Why has the site ignited controversy?
The Battle of the Alamo has been depicted in film and pop culture for over a century, most notably in the 1960 John Wayne vehicle “The Alamo.” But such retellings have been criticized for oversimplifying the conflict with racial overtones and the myth of martyred white heroes, with damaging reverberations.
“The Mexican army won the battle of the Alamo, so you would think that would make it a point of pride for people of Mexican descent, but that’s not the case,” said Sarah Zenaida Gould, executive director of San Antonio’s Mexican American Civil Rights Institute. “Instead, over time the Alamo becomes this symbol of Texas greatness. … Many Mexican Americans have stories of growing up in Texas and feeling shame about the Alamo and their ancestors defending their own country.”
Scholars such as University of Texas anthropology professor Richard Flores have recently examined how characterizations of the site have both reflected the state’s struggle with its Anglo and Mexican identity and distorted the reality of what occurred. Such reexaminations have drawn scorn in recent years amid ongoing culture wars.
“History changes and adapts over time,” Lanham said. “Some people don’t really want the story to change. They love the way the story was told, and as things are added to the story they get uncomfortable.”
In 2021, authors Bryan Burrough, Jason Stanford, and Chris Tomlinson released “Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth,” exploring how racism and the desire to practice slavery played roles in Texas history. That July, an event promoting the book was set for Austin’s Bullock Texas State History Museum until Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a member of the State Preservation Board, pressured museum directors to call off the event just hours before it was to take place.
“This fact-free rewriting of TX history has no place @BullockMuseum,” Patrick posted on social media. The move was criticized as censorship.
Gould said research bears out the book’s premise.
“A lot of Anglos who were at the battle were pushing to expand slavery,” Gould said. “That wasn’t the sole reason why it happened, but it was a complaint they had against the Mexican government, which had outlawed slavery in 1821.”
Historic site nearly lost to development
Following the Texans’ victory, Lanham said, the mission was vacated, its cannon disabled, and the outer walls torn down. As noted on the Alamo website, the site fell into disrepair until the U.S. Army took it over in the 1840s as a supply hub, only to be abandoned again with the building of a more permanent military garrison at Fort Sam Houston.
According to Gould, San Antonio experienced a power shift in the aftermath of the battle, with the site roughly marking an east-west divide between white residents and those of Mexican descent, who had become marginalized as the city grew.
“Until 1836, every mayor of San Antonio had a Spanish surname,” she said. “Not until 1980 would there be another.”
San Antonio expanded across the river as German immigrants moved into the area, and many mission buildings were lost. The chapel and long barrack are all that remain of the original compound, Lanham said, thanks to early 20th-century preservationists who fought to save them from development.
How is The Alamo remembered today?
At 6 a.m. Thursday, the Alamo was set to host an annual ceremony commemorating those who lost their lives in the historic battle. Jonathan Huhn, the site’s senior communications director, said this year’s 189th anniversary is special given that it marks the number of soldiers who fought to defend the site in 1836.
Today, the Alamo is one of Texas’ most popular tourist sites, visited by 1.6 million people annually. In March 2023, the 24,000-square-foot Ralston Family Collections Center opened at the site, part of a $550 million project to restore and revitalize the historic location that site leaders predict will raise annual visitor figures to 2.5 million.
The collections center houses Alamo artifacts, including items donated by rock legend Phil Collins, who became enthralled by Alamo lore as a child. The items will eventually move to a new visitor center and museum, expected to open in 2027, with the collection center available for traveling exhibits.
The future museum will feature eight galleries chronicling the 300 years of history encompassing the Alamo and the surrounding area, from the Indigenous inhabitants who settled along the San Antonio River thousands of years before European arrival, to the role adjacent businesses played in civil rights struggles.
It’s a step toward acknowledging the complex history around one of Texas’ most iconic structures.
Gould said the shame once felt by Texans of Mexican descent “has evolved into an understanding that the myth of the Alamo as a cradle of liberty was created for particular ideological purposes, and we shouldn’t just accept it at face value. These days people are more attuned to the idea that history has multiple perspectives and that it’s not a single narrative.”
The Texas Longhorns haven’t slowed down throughout the 2026 season as they now hold a 29-1 record and continue to push the longest winning streak in program history farther along, as the Longhorns’ winning streak now stands at 27 games.
The Longhorns have strung together consistency and dominance over the last weeks of the season, as recently the Longhorns have become the unanimous top team in the country, earning the top spot, ranking as the No. 1 team in the nation.
And now No. 1 Texas will get back to the gauntlet that is SEC play with a conference series against one of its bitter rivals in the dirt edition of the Lone Star Showdown against the No. 15 Texas A&M Aggies. The Longhorns get ready to host, welcoming in the Aggies to Red and Charline McCombs Field with the first game of the series set for Friday, March 27, at 6 p.m. CT.
How to Watch Texas vs. Texas A&M
Who: No. 1 Texas Longhorns and No. 15 Texas A&M Aggies
What: Lone Star Showdown
When: March 27-29
Where: Red and Charline McCombs Field in Austin, TX
TV/Streaming: Friday on SEC Network+, Saturday on ESPN2 and Sunday on ESPN
Radio: Longhorn Radio Network
Meet the Opponent
The Aggies head into the Lone Star Showdown series with a 23-9 overall record and have found success through their two conference series of the season, with a 5-1 record in the SEC. Away from home, the Aggies have split four of their away games with a 2-2 record on the road.
With the flip of the calendar from non-conference to conference play, the Aggies find a rhythm on the field, taking their conference opener against the then No. 17-ranked LSU Tigers on the road 2-1 and followed that up with a sweep at home against the Kentucky Wildcats, outscoring the Wildcats 26-9 over the three-game series.
The Longhorns batting order will battle against an Aggies pitching staff that heads into the weekend series with a 3.10 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. As a whole, the Aggies pitching staff has recorded 193 strikeouts while holding their opponents to a .225 batting average.
The leader of the Aggies pitching staff is sophomore Sydney Lessentine, as her 72 innings pitched is the most by any other Aggies pitcher. In her 19 appearances this season, Lessentine tallies a 2.43 ERA and .82 WHIP along with 60 strikeouts and holds opponents to a .196 batting average.
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COVINGTON, TX – Clouds of grey and brown smoke rolled through the field as yards of fire roared across dead grass. About 30 acres of Austin and Kelli Rollins’ property burned on the March morning, leaving blackened remnants just a couple dozen yards from the house.
But what looked like a natural disaster was the result of careful planning.
Prescribed burns, like the one onthe Rollinses property, can benefit wildlife populations, encourage the growth of native prairie grasses and limit damage from wildfires. Throughout Texas’ history, fires occurred naturally every three to seven years. Most native species are fire-adapted, Texas A&M’s Prescribed Burn Coordinator David Brooke said, but human fire suppression tactics have substantially decreased fire frequency and changed the landscape.
“From the Edwards Plateau, Hill Country up towards Dallas [and the] Panhandle, our habitat was a lot more open. It’s supposed to be rolling plains, prairies … with intermittent tree cover. What we’re seeing now is woody encroachment,” Brooke said.
At the Rollinses, the prescribed burn began with an introductory meeting to discuss strategy and a test fire on a corner of the lot. The team, largely consisting of members of the North Texas Prescribed Burn Association, edged the field with a water line, creating a moisture barrier to prevent flames from spreading in the wrong direction. Just a few yards behind the lengthening water line, volunteers used drip torches to create a “black line,” a thin burned strip meant to contain the larger plumes of fire that would come later.
The tip of a drip torch is used to set fire to Austin and Kelli Rollins property outside of Covington, Texas, March 18, 2026. They used a controlled burn to regenerate the pasture surrounding their home. Tom Fox / Staff Photographer
The crew collaborated with the wind, starting the test fire at the most downwind corner and expanding the black lines perpendicularly. Winds whipped, around 20 miles per hour, approaching the regulatory safety limit. By working backwards from the fire’s natural destination, the team limited the chance of flames escaping their control.
“Essentially what we’re doing is building a catcher’s mitt so when we light everything up, [the black line] will be there to stop it,” Brandon Martin said, who serves on the board of the prescribed burn association.
North Texas Prescribed Burn Association members perform a controlled burn at a Covington, Texas ranch
Martin, dressed in a hard hat and flame retardant clothing, assisted with this prescribed burn as a volunteer, but he also knows fire professionally through his role in emergency management at the Tarrant Regional Water District. As well as providing advice, he actively spread flames with a drip torch. Torch canisters are filled with fuel that, when turned down, trickles past a burning wick and ignites as it falls to the ground.
This fire is part of an effort to return the field to native prairie, a landscape Martin said depends on fire to thrive. Regular burning limits the growth of saplings and bushes, keeping the environment clear of exotic species that can outcompete native grasses.
North Texas Prescribed Burn Association member Don Nelson radios wind speed and direction to the rest of the crew during a controlled burn on the property of Austin and Kelli Rollins outside of Covington, Texas, March 18, 2026.
Tom Fox / Staff Photographer
Brooke said fire isn’t only a natural land management process, it’s also cost-effective. Invasive species can be removed mechanically with chainsaws and digging, or with chemical application. But in either instance, the labor and equipment costs are usually significantly higher than burning, especially with bigger plots.
“From an economics standpoint, it’s a heck of a lot cheaper to use fire,” Brooke said.
The resulting ash is high in nitrogen and phosphorus, which fertilizes the soil. With a little rain, Brooke said fields are often covered in green shoots within a matter of weeks, with a reinvigorated landscape emerging in the following months.
However, Brooke noted “one burn isn’t a silver bullet,” since invasive species could also be fed by these fresh nutrients. But if landowners can commit to following the three- to seven-year historic fire frequency, “it gives your native species the edge.”
Austin Rollins grabs a pressure sprayer to extinguish a spot fire during a controlled burn on his property near Covington, Texas, March 18, 2026.
Tom Fox / Staff Photographer
New growth also attracts a variety of wildlife, as it is highly palatable and an ideal habitat to spot predators. Brooke said he’s seen a number of landowners undertake prescribed burns to improve the hunting prospects.
Prescribed burns are best known for their power to stopthe spread of wildfire. The lack of fuel for a wildfire after an intentional burn can lower the fire’s intensity and help save structures. Brooke pointed to the town of Borger, which has a history of proactive wildfire management.
In the fall of 2023, they burned a 7-mile-long, 250-foot wide strip along the edge of town, creating a “black line” that proved crucial months later. When one of the 2024 Panhandle wildfires approached the town, it stopped just outside of several neighborhoods at the fire break. Firefighters credited the work with saving homes and possibly lives.
For landowners considering undertaking controlled burns themselves, Brooke said Texas is a “right-to-burn” state – guaranteeing landowners the right to burn on their own property – but there are still regulations to follow. County burn bans must be observed, local authorities notified and some state agencies regulate weather conditions to manage the smoke.
The North Texas Prescribed Burn Association used a backing fire to control a burn on the property of Austin and Kelli Rollins outside of Covington, Texas, March 18, 2026. They burned approximately 30 acres.
Tom Fox / Staff Photographer
Wind speeds are required to be between six and 23 miles per hour during a burn. If the breeze is too low, smoke won’t clear properly and it could settle on nearby roads, potentially causing an accident. If gusts are too high, fire behavior becomes more unpredictable.
Some counties also require a copy of the burn plan to be submitted in advance, which accounts for things like weather, the crew, suppression tactics (such as water, specialized rakes and leaf blowers) and smoke modeling.
Ultimately, given the high winds, the team on the Rollinses land decided to burn back to the black line in smaller strips instead of one roaring blaze. But even those sections could generate significant heat as the orange glow jumped from stem to stem. The gusts cleared most smoke quickly, but each time a new strip ignited, the plumes towered into the distance.
When just a few smoldering spots remained, the group gathered to debrief and share H-E-B sandwich trays. Pairs inquired about other teams’ strategies, but mostly, the crew was pleased with the safety and their progress – finishing the project in about three hours.
“Man, it’s beautiful,” Kelli Rollins said as she took a picture of the charred field against the blue sky. “I know that’s a weird thing to say, but it is.”
A modified Tesla Model X drives into the tunnel entrance before an unveiling event for the Boring Company Hawthorne test tunnel in Hawthorne, south of Los Angeles, California on December 18, 2018. – On Tuesday night December 18, 2018, Boring Co. will
DALLAS – After a months-long competition to convince tech mogul Elon Musk’s Boring Company to choose a U.S. city for a transit tunnel project, one Texas city has made the cut for the final three in consideration.
‘Tunnel Vision Challenge’ finalists
What we know:
The “Thrilling Three” in the running for the Tunnel Vision Challenge, announced in January, are Dallas, New Orleans, LA, and Baltimore, MD.
Dallas is in consideration for a “University Hills Loop.” When the challenge first launched on Jan. 18, the options of “a Loop tunnel, a freight tunnel, a pedestrian tunnel, a utility tunnel, a water tunnel, or any other use case where a tunnel would be useful” were pitched. All three finalists are Loop tunnels, which the company tags as “Teslas in Tunnels!”
Wednesday’s announcement says the projects will be up to one mile long and 12 feet in diameter.
What’s next:
The Boring Company said in their Wednesday announcement that, if possible, it “would be awesome” to build all three Loops.
The company plans to, along with the project stakeholders, enter into a rigorous diligence process which includes “meetings with elected officials, regulators, community leaders, and business leaders; geotechnical borings; and utility and subsurface infra investigation.”
They say they plan to build any and all final projects that are found to be feasible.
Possible second Texas project
The company said there were other projects that caught their attention as interesting projects, which they plan to attempt in the near future.
These include the “Morgan’s Wonderland Tunnel” in San Antonio, as well as the “Hendersonville Utility Tunnel” in Tennessee.
The Source: Information in this article comes from The Boring Company.
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