The Battle of the Alamo film

The Battle of the Alamo film that I watched was the film which John Wayne stared in. History that once lived is eventually told later on in years. But, in these following years the story is transformed into events that could or could not have taken place at the time. Some historians or film producers will become overwhelmed by their personal attitudes and tell the audience the way they think the event took place. Another factor that can be the reason for the way the film was produced is the year the film was made. I feel that the movie did a great job with staying on top of the events that really took place. I was a little disappointed with the film due to the fact that it was lacking the San Jacinto battle. If I am correct the San Jacinto battle did have a part to do with the Alamo battle.

When learning about the Alamo, I was taught that there were some Mexicans who fought in the battle on the Anglo side. These individuals are also known as Tejanos. In the film I noticed that not one person on the Anglo side was Mexican or Tejano. Though I didn’t see this, I did see an African American fighting for the Anglos. I feel that this was an important factor in the battle and it should not have been left out in the film. The Tejanos were simply not given the credit they should have received.

I feel that in the movie the Mexican forces did not meet the standards of what they are made to be. I know General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna as a dictator. The film did not do a good job pointing this out. To me, he seems like a normal laid back guy just fight for his country. Another thing that I saw was when not in battle them seemed like nice people. In a few scenes the Anglos and Mexicans talk but at an appropriate level. Being that there was a battle that was going to take place it should have been a little tenser between the two sides. The film did do a good job of showing the numerous soldiers who participated in the battle and the way they dressed.

The Anglos in the film seemed to have been giving the credit for being drunks and always partying. I noticed that most of the time in the film Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and their crew were either drinking or were already drunk. One factor for the men being presented this way may be the fact that in a lot of the western movies this is what it consist of. I found it funny how the main battle took place after the scene where Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie stole the livestock from the Mexicans. I don’t think that was the exact reason for the main battle to occur.

The film may not necessarily be wrong about the way they present the movie to show what happened that particular day. Different versions and attitudes affect the way films are produced. Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett, and William B. Travis will always be known for this great battle no matter what way it may be told.

Mision San Antonio de Valero

My trip to the Alamo was an enjoyable and educational experience. Even though I didn’t get to take the tour with the class, I still gained a lot of information. While walking around the Alamo, I discovered that most of the history is located within the Long Barrack. While strolling in the Long Barrack, I viewed paintings, stories, and artifacts. The problems that I saw was the stories only told the Texas version to the story and there was nothing negative about it.

As history has shown General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was the leader for the Mexican army. I have been taught that Santa Anna was a bad leader who was a dictator. They treated the people unfair and due to this Texas wanted its independence. On the other side Santa Anna may have been seen as a great leader. Mexicans may see him as someone who tried to protect the land that was once theirs. To some individuals he may be considered a hero for what he did.

I am not trying to say that the items presented in the Alamo are not correct. As I stated earlier they just tell one side of the story. It would be nice to see both sides of the story told exhibited right next to each other. It would be wrong of me to judge him for whom he is. I don’t know both sides of the story. There is always a second part to every story. In this case the other part was just left out.

The beauty of Espada Dam

As a follow up to the visit of Mission Espada, I decided to make a trip to the Espada Dam. In South Texas where there is little rainfall, Espada Dam played a key role on the lifestyles of the people. Espada Dam is the oldest dam in Texas that is still used today. Espada Dam was built to retain water that could be used by the missionaries and Indians. The dam provides 4500 gallons of water per minute into the acequia system. Mission Espada relied heavily on the acequia system, which consist of Espada damn, for many purposes. The biggest use of the acequia system would be for irrigation purposes. Without the acequia system there would be no water for planting and harvesting crops. The colonist used floodgates to control the quantity of water sent to the various 400 acres of farm fields that needed to be irrigated. This acequia system was also used for washing various items, bathing, and power for mill wheels.


Till this day, Espada Dam still plays a major role in people’s lives. Farmers who live around the system still rely on it for irrigation.
In some cases it may still be used for washing and bathing purposes as well. But, on this trip I noticed that it was used for an entertainment attraction. There were individuals fishing, playing in the water, taking photographs, hiking the nature trails, and just enjoying the overall beauty of the area.


While approaching Espada dam heads on, the river advances far beyond one can see.
But, the first thing that caught my attention was the new Espada dam built right next the old one. This new dam is located on the right side of the old dam. The new dam is double to triple the size of the original dam. But, when comparing the two dams there is a major difference in the way they were built. The old dam was constructed by old rocks put together while, the new one is one big concrete wall. This is a perfect example that shows how today is a lot more advanced then the olden days. Towards the bottom of the old river mouth, the old river flows into the new river created by this new dam. Also on the right side a nature park and road have been established. The road cuts right down the middle of the new river that has been created by the new dam. To the left side of the road, tables and benches are present for individuals to overlook the two dams. To the left side of the old dam there is a cemetery on top of a hill just beyond the tree banks. I cannot prove that this cemetery was established by the colonist who once dominated this land. The brush country that once surrounded this dam has been cleared out to make it safe for tourist to come visit. As we may all speculate, this location looked completely different than it does when it was first established. It is neat to see that today we are influenced by the way people lived before our time.