Photo: wikimedia
Local News
The U.N. Names the Alamo a World Heritage Site
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By Elizabeth Abrahamsen, Wide Open Country
Texans have been persistent in their efforts to remember the heroic men who gave their lives in the name of Texan independence at the battle of the Alamo in 1836, and finally the rest of the world will as well. On Sunday, the U.N. cultural body granted world heritage status to the historic site, along with four other Spanish mission sites around the city of San Antonio.
The Alamo and its surrounding missions were the only historic sites in the United States on the list this time. Several dozen other sites across the globe also received the honor, mainly in Japan and France. The San Antonio missions will join other United States icons such as the Grand Canyon and the Statue of Liberty, which are already on the list.
“These Missions are a living example of the interchange of cultures bringing together the indigenous, Spanish, Mexican, and other influences that form South Texas today,” said Archeologist Susan Snow, according to the Associated Press.
Snow is an archaeologist for San Antonio Missions National Historical Park and made the point that the Alamo represents “the very essence of the great melting pot of the United States.”
Photo: Mission Concepción Wikipedia/Travis Witt
The less well-known missions around San Antonio include Mission Concepción, Mission Espada, Mission San José, and Mission San Juan Capistrano. The battle at the Alamo was an inciting factor in the Texas revolution that drew many men to arms for the cause of Texas independence, and inspired the rallying cry, “Remember the Alamo!”
The move is expected to raise tourism for the Alamo, which is in the top five tourist draws in the city of San Antonio.
