The Alamo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Alamo
The Alamo seen from up front.
Location	San Antonio, Texas
Built	1744

The Alamo is an old Spanish mission (like a church built by Catholic missionaries to minister to the natives) that is in what is now San Antonio, Texas, United States. The Alamo was authorized in 1718 but was not built until 1744. The original name was San Antonio de Valero Mission.

The Alamo is most famous for The Battle of the Alamo, which took place during 1836. It was occupied by 187 men from Texas and around the world who were fighting for the independence of Texas from what was then Mexico. the men in the Alamo were defeated by a force of 5,000 Mexican troops. General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was the general for the Mexican army. All 189 Texans were killed, and "Remember the Alamo!" became the battle cry of the Texas Revolution. The battle ended on March 6, 1836, when the defenders were executed.

Many years later, the Texas government restored the Alamo. The Alamo became a National Historic Landmark in 1960, and is now open for tourists. The Alamo also became a UNESCO World Heritage Site on July 5, 2015.

Related pages

• Battle of the Alamo

Images for kids

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  Drawing of the Alamo Mission in San Antonio

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  The Fall of the Alamo, painted by Theodore Gentilz in 1844, depicts the Alamo complex from the south. The Low Barracks, the chapel, and the wooden palisade connecting them are in the foreground.

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  James Bowie arrived at the Alamo Mission on January 19 with orders to destroy the complex. He instead became the garrison's co-commander.

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  General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna led Mexican troops into Texas in 1836.

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  William B. Travis became sole Texian commander at the Alamo on February 24.

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  This plan of the Alamo was created by José Juan Sánchez-Navarro in 1836. Places marked R and V denote Mexican cannon; position S indicates Cos's forces.

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  A knife purportedly used by Davy Crockett during the Battle of the Alamo

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  Susanna Dickinson survived the Battle of the Alamo. Santa Anna sent her to spread word of the Texian defeat to the Texas colonists.

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  Cenotaph of the Alamo defenders

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  First stamp to commemorate battle was issued in 1936, the 100th anniversary of the battle, depicting Sam Houston and Stephen Austin.

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  Second stamp, issued in 1956, depicts the facade of the Alamo mission

See also

In Spanish: Batalla de El Álamo para niños