TRICENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS
San Antonio awash in history and vibrancy
The limestone building sits, rather unobtrusively, at the back of a rocky courtyard with a long, low wall beside it. With an abundance of historic missions in San Antonio, this could be any of the five former Spanish outposts erected to bring Christianity to Indigenous people.
It could be, but for the instantly recognizable arched roofline.
Mision de San Antonio de Valero, better known as The Alamo, has graced movies, posters and postcards for decades. Which makes finally seeing it in person both inspiring and surprising.
With its rather small footprint, the Alamo appears incongruous beside adjacent hotels, a parking lot, a shopping mall and Ripley’s Believe it or Not Odditorium. But the 300-year-old mission is a perfect example of this city’s rare ability to comfortably straddle both past and present. The chapel and what remains of its fortification covers a city block or two in the heart of downtown. Across the pedestrian boulevard is a strip of arcades and souvenir shops where you can buy “Remember the Alamo” T-shirts or knock-off coonskin caps like Davy Crockett might have worn on the very spot as he valiantly fought to his death onMarch6,1836.
In a city celebrating its tricentennial this year, San Antonio is awash in history on every street corner yet it doesn’t feel old. The stone and brick buildings of the past sit side by side with the new. It’s clear this is a city that appreciates its history and isn’t in a rush topaveoverit.
San Antonio grew up around the Alamo mission, which was constructed in 1718. It became a fortress during the Texas Revolution of 1835-36 and gained infamy during the bloody 12-day siege by Mexican General Santa Anna. It later became a supply depot, then a shrine and finally a museum and National Historic Landmark. Remarkably, it is free to visit with the only cost being to rent a handheld speaker that explains various points of interest within the chapel and adjoining gardens and barracks. The Alamo does a good job of detailing the grim scene as 1,500 Mexican soldiers battled fewer than 200 defenders. Almost all were slaughtered, and it became a pivotal moment in Texas history as it spurred many others to join the fight against the Mexican army, defeating it six weeks later.
There are four other colonial missions scattered along the San Antonio River in the city. Concepción, San José, San Juan and Espada were important community centres and often places of refuge. They are included in the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, and along with the Alamo, are part of the World Heritage Site. It’s an easy drive between each mission and it’s interesting to see the scope of restoration of each.
If you’re remotely fit, you can rent a B-cycle from a locked hub in Roosevelt Park and cycle the roughly 12 kilometres on paved paths along the river to the four outlying missions. There are parks and rest areas on the way and the city is investing heavily in encouraging biking, hiking and kayaking along the river. The bicycle rental hubs can also be found all over downtown, as can electric scooters, which are hugely popular to rent through a mobile app.
The river is a key asset here, shown off by the four-kilometrelong San Antonio River Walk, a network of walkways one-storey beneath the streets.
Quaint bridges criss-cross the water and the sides are lined with hundreds of restaurants, bars, boutiques, shops, malls, hotels and museums. Go Rio tourist barges ply the canal, with guides pointing out historic and interesting details in half-hour trips well worth the $21 adult fee. There are also dinner cruises in the evenings, which take full advantage of the twinkling fairy lights strung along the canal.
The canal was built in response to a deadly flood in 1921 and was originally proposed to be a concrete bypass channel but a forward-thinking architect dreamed up the idea of a commercial project that would beautify the area. With floodgates and a small dam installed, the River Walk accomplishes both tasks.
It’s a fair bet tourists will find themselves wandering the River Walk more than once during their trip as it’s the most picturesque way to walk the core. One of the city’s best-known museums is located here, The Briscoe Western Art Museum. Housed in the city’s first public library, the museum highlights the art and culture of the American West with paintings, textiles, bronzes and artifacts, including Santa Anna’s steel, gold and leather sword dating to 1852 and Pancho Villa’s saddle, circa 1890-1910.
Another museum worth seeing is north of downtown near the zoo. The Witte Museum is a vast collection of galleries, halls and labs dedicated to telling the story of Texas through archeology, anthropology, geology and paleontology. There are dinosaur skeletons, exhibits on native animal species, south Texas heritage, and even a fun, interactive centre focused on health (where you can virtually dissect yourself!). A temporary gallery recently hosted the Portraits of Courage exhibit — paintings of 66 service members and veterans done by former president George W. Bush. A tricentennial exhibition — Confluence and Culture — examining the city’s 300 years of history runs until Jan. 6, 2019.
Perhaps the most creative and colourful way to learn about the city is through a nightly, open-air multimedia show in the main plaza. Created by French artist Xavier De Richemont, the 24-minute San Antonio Saga projects images and video onto the San Fernando Cathedral with accompanying music to tell the story of San Antonio’s history. The plaza fills up with visitors and locals taking in the stunning visual display, which runs every Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 9 p.m., 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.
History is also on display in many of the city ’s accommodations such as Hotel Valencia, Riverwalk Plaza and Crockett Hotel. The Menger was the first inn in the city, while the venerable St. Anthony Hotel introduced many a debutante into society and annually hosts Fiesta Balls to honour the fallen at the Alamo.
Built by two cattlemen in 1909, the St. Anthony was dubbed “the Waldorf on the Prairie” for its comparison to the famed New York hotel. Over the years and through the Depression, the hotel changed hands several times. It was bought by a consortium of San Antonio businessmen in 2012 who restored it to its previous glamour.
Over the years, both real and Hollywood royalty graced the hotel. Guests have included President Eisenhower, Princess Grace of Monaco, Judy Garland and Fred Astaire. Gary Cooper and Clara Bow lived there while filming Wings in the 1920s. John Wayne frequented the hotel while filming the 1960 movie The Alamo and even has a suite named after him.
The St. Anthony is a designated National Historic Landmark. The main floor Peacock Alley resembles a movie set from the 1940s with its period furniture, massive chandeliers and Steinway piano reputedly built for the Russian embassy in Paris. The elegant Gallery on the Green breakfast room overlooking Travis Park shows off the 1959 work of famed New York interior designer Dorothy Draper.
The former private gentleman’s club still feels like a plush salon from the past with dark panelling and wooden crests above the bar. The city’s elite can still be found doing business here: Southwest Airlines’ original triangular route — San Antonio–Dallas–Houston — was first drawn up on a St. Anthony Club napkin and the purchase of the San Antonio Spurs basketball team was negotiated here over lunchtime martinis.
Stories like these abound in San Antonio, where old meets new and both are embraced.