Mission San Antonio de Valero, later became famous as the Alamo, was established in 1718. It is one of the 5 missions of San Antonio.
The church structure that stands today in the heart of San Antonio was begun about 1755. When its mission role was completed, the old buildings were abandoned when the site, by then known as the Alamo, became the "cradle of Texas Liberty."

Rebelling against repressions of Mexico's dictator, Santa Anna, a band of 189 Texas volunteers defied a Mexican army of thousands for 13 days in 1836. The Alamo defenders all died, among them such men as William Travis, Davy Crockett, and Jim Bowie.