Fiesta City honors Its past, celebrate its future: San Antonio invites new visitors to share in its history.

Walking the winding streets of downtown San Antonio, Texas, is like tracing America's historical entry into the Wild West. And just like the natural ebb and flow of the San Antonio River, so goes the city's turbulent past and future acceptance into the Union in 1846.

The city's namesake was given by Spanish explorers in 1691, who discovered its river on the feast day of St. Anthony. At the time, the area was inhabited by Native Americans, who were converted to Christianity when the city was officially founded by Spain in 1718. This fight over land foreshadowed endless struggles for control of San Antonio for more than 100 years.

Spain established five missions along the San Antonio River, including San Antonio de Valero (now the infamously named Alamo), many of which have been preserved and maintained by the city's park and recreation department. A nine-mile trail can be traced beginning at the Alamo down south to the 879-acre San Antonio Missions National Historic Park.

The missions were secularized by 1795, and the Alamo became a military barracks for Mexico's soldiers who fought Spain for independence, which they declared in 1821.

Due to American immigration to Texas and struggles over the Mexican constitution, Mexico's reign was short lived, and the Texas Revolution began in 1835. The anglo settlers in the state were fighting the Mexican army for democracy, with the Alamo serving as the central backdrop in the fight for freedom. Its siege by Mexico is historical by many accounts--not only was the defense of the Alamo represented by some of the Union's greatest military figures such as Sam Houston and David Crockett; but their courage to fight against all odds led to the famous battle cry, "Remember the Alamo," which represents the 189 men who gave their lives during the great siege of 1836. Even though the Alamo was initially lost to Mexico, Texas did eventually enter the Union 10 years later and began rebuilding on the former battlegrounds.

Much of the city's parkland is historical, with most of the parks either created on military battleground or named after military figures. Crockett Park was established in 1875, and has since been held in perpetuity as a public space; Riverside Park sits on land that Theodore Roosevelt visited during the Spanish American War; and Milam Park is home to the remains of Ben Milam, who was killed defending San Antonio against Mexican forces in 1835.

San Antonio's population grew rapidly after it joined the Union--mainly due to the influx of German immigrants. The Germans mixed well with the Hispanics, as well as the Southern Anglo-Americans who arrived soon afterward. The architecture around the city reflects this cultural diversity. Just west of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center lays La Villita, a historical village that was San Antonio's first neighborhood (see La Villita story on page 46). La Villita is home to centuries-old Mexican palisados and Anglo-American Victorian mansions. South of La Villita is the primarily German neighborhood, King William Historic District. Mexico's cultural stronghold lies just west of the district in the Market Square area, which is the largest Mexican outdoor market outside of Mexico (see Top 10 list on page 50).

Aside from the historical preservation of the city, natural beauty is pervasive throughout San Antonio, mostly due to the early visions of the city's park commissioner, Ray Lambert, and its mayor, Maury Maverick. Lambert was park commissioner from 1915 to 1927; and during his tenure, doubled the park department's inventory and created a legacy with the development of the Japanese Tea Garden and the 343-acre Brackenridge Park.

The garden was created using prison labor and leftover materials from the old rock quarry it replaced. What stands today is reflective of Lambert's dedication to parks, with majestic walkways, stone arch bridges and a Japanese pagoda. Lambert's development of Brackenridge Park includes the Japanese Tea Garden, as well as the San Antonio Zoological Gardens and Aquarium.

While Lambert focused on public park spaces, Maverick spent much of his tenure (1939-1941) as San Antonio's mayor, beautifying historically significant districts such a La Villita. Maverick also helped secure funding to develop the River Walk along the San Antonio River while he was congressman of Texas from 1935 to 1939. It was during this period that the river was saved by a historical society from being paved over due to flooding problems. The city agreed to invest in the area and make an aesthetically pleasing downtown shopping area along the river. The River Walk was completed by the 1940s, and is an ideal example of a successful public/private partnership between the city, the state government and the citizens of San Antonio.

San Antonio's character lies in its foundation. Never ignoring its tumultuous past, the city's leaders created monuments, homages and picturesque parks to honor its history. At the same time, San Antonio continues to develop and grow as a city, providing its residents with numerous ways to enjoy its culture, recreation offerings and historical experiences as only the Fiesta City can achieve.

For a detailed list of the National Register of Historic Places in San Antonio, visit www. n rpa.org.

Fun Fact

The famed River Walk was actually designed to be an underground storm drain.