The Alamo (Field Assignment 2)

The Alamo

Imagine guns and cannons being shot all around you…The dazzling light from the gun powder blinding you in an already stark black night. Can you smell the fear emitting from every man, woman, and child trapped in the center of a sea of death? To someone like me who has no ties to Texas or the Alamo it honestly looks like just an decrepit old pile of bricks that apparently has some sort of historical worth. More importantly the relatives of the defenders of the Alamo, both Anglo and Tejano alike the point of view is much different. Through my eyes I see a legend, through the eyes of those who's family died in those battles they conceive a death trap and the acrid stench of flesh is still inhaled. This assignment I actually enjoyed. Although it was based on forced religion, something semi-good came out of it. My favorite part was meeting people at the Alamo whose ancestors actually fought in the battle(s). I thoroughly enjoyed hearing there heartfelt pride concerning the Alamo. I still believe the "We're better than everyone" attitude that most San Antonionians possess is absolutely preposterous, but it is what makes San Antonio culture what it is. I disliked having to listen to the park caretakers though monotone voices and not exactly knowing what they are speaking about is just not what catches my approval. I would really like to research the "ghost stories" concerning the Alamo more and do a little more field work/hands on research into the more obscure areas. I would like to go again though.

Mission San Francisco de la Espada Visit

When you hear the name “Espada Mission”, what comes to mind? Maybe, some old buildings made out of moldy, ugly stone or possibly the image of a frivolously dressed European man binding a long, dark haired “savage”? If so, in some right you are correct. But that is not the entire account. The mission were much more than giant slave camps, but also served as a lesson the general population should learn from today.

My experience at the Mission Espada was in all honesty okay. I did not find anything spectacular about it and in order to one would have to use a lot of imagination and most likely be Christian or Catholic to appreciate it. Despite my religious cynicism, learning about the history was marvelous, but the result of it wasn’t.

I’m neither Hispanic nor Native American so I do not have the “familial” ties to this certain spot, but I still feel a certain culpability for being European and having ties to the subjugators who called themselves “Men of God” (The Franciscans) who performed various heinous acts on the Natives. By all means there wasn’t just the eradication of their “existence” and society, it wasn’t just forcing themselves to believe in a what the Native Americans at the time thought was a false God, that was not good enough. I researched the treatment they received and it was not sunshine and daisies. Some were starved, some were beaten. I would not say they were tortured, but, it was still not a treatment the everyday common man should receive.

In the future I believe I would like to research the topic more, but in a different sense. A debate over the historical aspects of The Missions would be more to my liking.