Wednesday, March 19, 2014

San Antonio, The Heart of Texas History

The following post is from Multicultural Ambassador, Valmy, M., To read more about the Multicultural Ambassadors program go to www.tarleton.edu/diversity.  

Texas is known for its vast territories and the wealth of its soil. However, many do not know how rich the Lone Star State is in history. San Antonio is one of the key locations, if not the heart, of Texas history. Throughout this trip, I was very shocked to see that the city of San Antonio is not as highly industrialized as Dallas or Austin, but still attract a large number of tourists annually. Within a couple hours of our arrival in town, it was clear that people could not resist the beauty of the River Walk and its 3-story shopping center and countless restaurants. Then, as we started exploring down town San Antonio on the second and third day, it was clear that the engineers of the city were aware of the importance of some key elements in the composition of what makes San Antonio so unique.

The city is built around the Alamo, a sacred element of the Texas revolution against Mexico. After further analysis of the history of the Alamo, I discovered the courage of the men of the Alamo. Courage that continued to be present in Texas history with brave individuals like Sam Houston that continued to fight for causes that many had lost their lives for. Nevertheless, the wealth of San Antonio does not just revolve around the Alamo. After a terrific boat tour along the river runs through downtown San Antonio, it came to my attention that the first people who had settled along that river wanted to build things so they could be remembered many generations later. Indeed, a large percentage of the buildings around the river walk date from the late 1800s. Those buildings have seen San Antonio go through its worst and its best. The wealth of the history of San Antonio is so broad that it is quite uneasy to say that the city obtains its fame from a specific component. 

            From the history of San Antonio and an educational exhibit at the Institute of Texan Culture called “Stolen Education”, I realized that despite the fact that the Anglo colonist tried to influence its ethnocentric ideas on the traditional Mexican even into the 1950’s. The attempts failed because Mexican influence is highly noted in many ventures of San Antonio. The Mexican culture is highly seen all around; after all they see this land as part of their ancestors. The influence of the culture could be seen from many localities on the river walk to the unique Market Square. This unique culture that reflects a little piece of Mexico attracts millions tourists throughout the year. The vibe that San Antonio offers to its many visitors is very unique and I will definitely go back to visit because I feel like one can never get enough of the countless stories that are at the center of the city's fame.

Spring Break Culture Excursion -San Antonio, TX 

~Valmy M., Multicultural Ambassador 


We hope that you will stop by the office (TSC # 21). Also, look for us on social media. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TarletonDiversityInclusion and read along with our journeys here on the blog:  http://tarletondiversityinclusion.blogspot.com/ 
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