Photos: Hundreds observe fall of Alamo in 1836

By Ben Olivo | @rbolivo | Heron editor

Alamo Plaza has been packed all day as hundreds of visitors take in events commemorating March 6, 1836, the day Texian forces inside the Alamo fell to the Mexican army ending a 13-day siege.

The day began with the decades-long tradition Dawn at The Alamo early this morning. By mid-morning, the line to enter the Shrine of Texas Liberty stretched back to Ripley’s Haunted Adventure. The front of the greensward was decorated with wreaths honoring the defenders. Re-enactors walked the grounds and interacted with visitors by answering their questions or taking photos with them.

Late morning, the Alamo Chapter of the Sons of the Republic of Texas held its annual ceremony “After The Fall,” and did something new this year: Instead of hosting a keynote speaker, they conducted interviews with five lesser-known characters representing those who died that day, including a slave named Sarah (played by local actress and director Danielle King), who was said to have died amid cannon crossfire; and John J. Baugh (played by Alamo employee Scott Jones), who traveled to Texas the year before the battle as a first lieutenant in the New Orleans Greys. It’s an effort to stage a more inclusive event.

“I hope we can continue it, because 200 people is a lot of people to cover five at a time… I may not live that long,” said Bob M. Benavidez of The Sons of the Republic of Texas, and who’s also chairman of the San Antonio Living History Association. “We’re including more Tejanos and solados (Mexican soldiers) than we ever had by going to the community. Otherwise, it will wind up being Crockett land.”

The day concluded at 6 p.m. with “Remember The Defenders,” a ceremony led by the Alamo Defenders’ Descendants Association.

Heron Editor Ben Olivo has been writing about downtown San Antonio since 2008, first for mySA.com, then for the San Antonio Express-News. He co-founded the Heron in 2018, and can be reached at 210-421-3932 | ben@saheron.com | @rbolivo on Twitter