Alamo

The Alamo, officially Mission San Antonio de Valero, is a historic Spanish mission and fortress in downtown San Antonio, Texas, United States. Founded in 1718 as part of Spain's mission system, it served as a religious center and defensive outpost for the settlement of Texas. The name Alamo derives from the Spanish term for a stand of cottonwood or poplar trees near the site, which gave the mission its colloquial name, while the formal name remained Mission San Antonio de Valero.

In 1836, during the Texas Revolution, the Alamo became the site of a protracted battle between Texian defenders—led by James Bowie, William B. Travis, and later joined by Davy Crockett—and Mexican forces under General Antonio López de Santa Anna. After 12 to 13 days of siege, Mexican troops overran the compound on March 6. The defense provided a rallying call for Texas independence, encapsulated in the slogan Remember the Alamo.

Today the Alamo is a museum and major tourist attraction administered by the Texas General Land Office. It forms part of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park and, as a component of the San Antonio Missions, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015. The site preserves period structures such as the chapel, Long Barracks, and other remnants of the original mission complex. It continues to be a focal point for studies of Spanish colonial missions and 19th-century American history.