San Antonio Riverwalk & The Alamo

The first weekend of Rose's visit we took her to the San Antonio River Walk (also known as Paseo del Río). The Riverwalk is a network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River, one story beneath downtown San Antonio. Lined by bars, shops and restaurants, the River Walk is an important part of the city's urban fabric and a tourist attraction in its own right.

The Alamo, originally known as Mission San Antonio de Valero, is a former Roman Catholic mission and fortress compound, now a museum, in San Antonio. The compound, was built by the Spanish in the 18th century for the education of local Native Americans. It became a fortress housing the Mexican Army group the Second Flying Company of San Carlos de Parras, who likely gave the mission the name "Alamo".
Mexican soldiers held the mission until December 1835. A relatively small number of Texan soldiers then occupied the compound. On February 23, Mexican General Santa Anna led a large force of Mexican soldiers into San Antonio and promptly initiated a seige. The siege ended on March 6, when the Mexican army attacked the Alamo; by the end of the Battle of The Alamo all or almost all of the defenders were killed.
For the next five years, the Alamo was periodically used to garrison soldiers, both Texan and Mexican, but was ultimately abandoned. In 1849, the US Army began renting the facility for use as a quartermaster's depot. The US Army abandoned the mission in 1876. The Alamo chapel was sold to the state of Texas, which conducted occasional tours but made no effort to restore it. The remaining buildings were sold to a mercantile company which operated them as a wholesale grocery store. It is now restored and open as a Museum.