Remember the Alamo! That's the first thing that comes to mind when most people think of San Antonio. The unofficial battle cry of Texas, during the revolution against Mexico, originated when a completely outnumbered 189 defenders inside the Alamo held off as many as 6,000 Mexican troops for a whopping 13 days.

However, there was life before the Alamo -- sort of. San Antonio was officially founded May 1, 1718, when Father Antonio Olivares established Mission San Antonio de Valero at a Coahuiltecan Indian village. This location had already been serving as a resting point for people headed to French trading ports in Louisiana. The mission, called the Alamo, was secularized in 1794 and became a military post.

In 1821, San Antonio was an established Spanish community in Texas. In August of that year, Stephen F. Austin arrived in town armed with a permit for the admission of 300 U.S. families into the territory. Prior to the siege of the Alamo, San Antonio was still the biggest city in Texas, with 2,500 inhabitants.

The story of the Alamo starts in December 1835, at the opening of the Texas war for independence. A small band of Texas volunteers had been cornered inside the Alamo. Texas leaders wanted the outnumbered group to stand down, but volunteers at the Alamo refused to retire from their position. On February 23, 1836, a Mexican army, commanded by General Santa Anna, arrived from the south and began attacking the Alamo.

On the morning of March 6, the Mexican troops found a hole in the outer wall of the courtyard and overwhelmed the Texans. Santa Anna had ordered that no prisoners be taken, and only about 15 people, mostly women and children, were spared. Famous patriots lost in the battle included Colonel James Bowie, Colonel William B. Travis and notorious bear wrestler and former U.S. Congressman Davy Crockett. The Mexican forces, though victorious, did suffer heavy casualties. It's widely believed the casualties and the time lost taking the Alamo stopped Santa Anna long enough to enable Sam Houston to perfect plans for the eventual defense of Texas.

It was shortly after that, at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, that Sam Houston's army of about 910 men defeated Santa Anna's force of 1,250 and uttered the famous battle cry, "Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!" In only 18 minutes, the Mexican army was decimated, with 650 killed and 600 captured while Houston's men suffered only nine casualties and 18 wounded. This was the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution as Santa Anna was captured the following day, quickly signing peace treaties and paving the way for the Republic of Texas to become an independent country.

San Antonio's Historic Past and Landmarks

• A band of Spanish explorers and missionaries came upon the river in 1691, and because it was the feast day of St. Anthony, they named the river "San Antonio."
• Alamo is Spanish for cottonwood tree.
• La Villita, one of the original settlements, was comprised of Spanish soldiers and their families.
• The Spanish Governor's Palace was the seat of government when San Antonio was the capital of the Spanish Province of Texas.
• The San Fernando Cathedral's construction was started in 1731 by Canary Islanders.
• The José Antonio Navarro State Historical Park was the home of Navarro, a central figure in the formation of Texas.
• At the end of the 19th century, San Antonio was seen as the starting point for the Chisholm Trail. The city would go on to achieve success as a major cattle center.
• Market Square is the largest Mexican marketplace outside of Mexico.
• Sam Houston, arguably the most famous Texan, was actually born in Virginia. Houston served as governor of Tennessee before coming to Texas.
• The famed River Walk is a man-made canal originally designed to become an underground storm drain.
• During the St. Patrick's Day celebration, the river is dyed green with an amazing 35 pounds of dye.

Sources:
(http://www.sanantoniocvb.com/visitors/com_history.asp)

(http://www.sachamber.org/relo/general_info.php)