Within three generations of the first voyage of Columbus, the Spanish controlled much of North and South America. They imposed their language, culture, and religion on the native population. After three centuries of rule, Spain lost its empire —but it had created a new culture and society.

Mission San Jose history

That culture and society remains, especially in the state of Texas within the city of San Antonio. The following demonstrates what is of interest for various groups visiting San Antonio.

For Boaters

San Antonio offers diverse water activities centered around the iconic San Antonio River and nearby lakes. The San Antonio River Walk provides peaceful kayaking and paddleboarding opportunities, combining urban scenery with water adventure. Beyond city limits, Canyon Lake and Medina Lake offer fishing, jet-skiing, and sailing on larger open waters. Rental options abound through vendors like Texas River Company, Mission Kayak, and Go Rio Cruises. The Guadalupe River at Guadalupe River State Park features four miles of river frontage ideal for swimming, tubing, and canoeing.advcollective+3​

For Historians

San Antonio is exceptionally rich in historic sites. The San Antonio Missions World Heritage Site includes five mission complexes (Mission Concepción, Mission San José, Mission San Juan, Mission Espada, and the Alamo) that form the most complete group of Spanish Colonial missions in the world. San Fernando Cathedral, built 1738-1750, ranks among the oldest active cathedrals in the United States. The Spanish Governor’s Palace, described by National Geographic as “the most beautiful building in San Antonio,” dates to the early 18th century. Historic homes like Casa Navarro State Historic Site and the King William historic district showcase 19th-century life and Victorian architecture.mywanderlustylife+3

For Birders

San Antonio sits within a major migratory flyway with over 160 bird species. Mitchell Lake Audubon Center is renowned as one of the last critical stopover grounds before the Texas Coast, where 98.5% of long-distance migratory birds pass through. Bamberger Nature Park and Leon Creek Greenway attract warblers, tanagers, orioles, and flycatchers. Phil Hardberger Park features 330 acres of native habitat with bird water features and wildlife blinds. The San Antonio Botanical Garden is excellent for spotting Long-billed Thrashers, Verdins, and Bell’s Vireos.westsanantonio.wbu+4​

For Swimmers

Natural swimming spots near San Antonio include spring-fed pools and rivers. Barton Springs in Austin maintains 68-70 degree water year-round across three acres. The Aquatic Complex at Landa Park in New Braunfels features a historic spring-fed pool at constant 72 degrees. Guadalupe River State Park offers river swimming and tubing. San Antonio operates eight outdoor public pools including San Pedro Springs Park and Woodlawn Lake Park. More adventurous swimmers can visit Jacob’s Well Natural Area, an artesian spring with the second-largest fully submerged cave in Texas.alamocitymoms+1

For Architects

San Antonio showcases diverse architectural styles. The Bexar County Courthouse (1897), Texas’s largest historic courthouse, features Romanesque Revival design with Texas granite, red sandstone, and distinctive beehive dome towers. The Medical Arts Building (1924), now the Emily Morgan Hotel, displays neo-Gothic brick façades with elaborate terra-cotta accents. Mission San José, the “Queen of the Missions,” built in 1782, features the famous Rose Window (La Ventana de Rosa), the premier example of Spanish Colonial ornamentation in the United States. The Tower Life Building(1929), a 30-story neo-Gothic octagonal skyscraper with terra-cotta gargoyles and green clay tile roof, dominates the skyline.stephentravels+1

For Beer Drinkers

San Antonio’s craft brewery scene includes numerous notable establishments. Künstler Brewing operates as an authentic German-style brewery with German food, having won a silver medal at the 2018 GABF for chile beer. Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling combines brewing and distilling operations. Other popular breweries include Freetail Brewing Co., Alamo Beer Company, Roadmap Brewing (praised for consistent excellence), and Weathered Souls. The Pearl District, a restored brewery, now serves as a lively hub with multiple bars, restaurants, and a weekend farmers’ market.travelweek+4

Margaritas and Beer on the River Walk

• Many River Walk bars and restaurants serve pitchers of margaritas—a popular choice for groups, offering about 4-5 glasses per pitcher. The margarita is one of the most iconic tequila-based cocktails, with roots deeply tied to the Mexico–U.S. border region. While its exact origin is debated, most credible accounts place its invention between the late 1930s and the late 1940s in northern Mexico or border towns, and the drink reflects both Spanish/Mexican culture and society through its core ingredients and international popularity.
• German beer is abundant, especially at establishments specializing in German fare. It is also served in pitchers. Notable is the Bier Garten Riverwalk, offering imported German beers (plus local and craft options), sausages, and other Bavarian-inspired dishes in an open-air setting next to the water.
• German beer is served due to the region’s significant historic German immigrant community, which influenced local culture, food, and brewing traditions throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The city and surrounding Hill Country have retained this heritage with beer gardens, German restaurants, and annual festivals.​

Why Is German Beer Served?

• San Antonio and the surrounding region were shaped by waves of German immigrants in the 1800s, leading to enduring traditions in brewing, architecture, and cuisine.
• Beer gardens and authentic German eateries keep this connection alive. Bier Garten Riverwalk, for example, aims to offer an authentic experience reminiscent of classic German hospitality while serving both European imports and Texas craft beers.​

In short, the River Walk is not only an architectural and cultural triumph of downtown revitalization but also a lively place to enjoy regional favorites like margaritas and German beer, a nod to San Antonio’s richly layered history. The pitcher style of serving reflects cultural and social values.

Alabama is the most prominent state in recent decades to have explicitly prohibited the serving of pitchers of spirits-based mixed drinks—including margaritas—while allowing pitchers of beer. This ban was enforced by the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABC), and affected Mexican restaurants and bars statewide. The rationale was to maintain consistency in alcohol serving size and control overconsumption per individual. However, due to public outcry and reevaluation of the law, Alabama lifted this ban in 2017, once again allowing pitchers of margaritas and similar drinks.[1][2][3][4][6]

States Once Part of Mexico

The states that were once part of Mexico before becoming part of the United States (through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, or the Gadsden Purchase in 1853) include:

• California
• Nevada
• Utah
• Arizona
• New Mexico
• Texas
• Parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, and Oklahoma

None of these “former Mexican” states have, in recent years, enacted a prominent, statewide ban on pitchers of margaritas. Texas, Arizona, California, and New Mexico generally allow pitchers of margaritas in bars and restaurants, and they are culturally popular in these regions.[7] Thus, the notable margarita pitcher ban was in Alabama—a state that was never part of Mexico. Former Mexican territories in the U.S. do not currently have such statewide bans, and margarita pitchers remain a part of their vibrant dining culture.[3][8][1][7]

Sources
[1] Jimmy Buffett’s Home State Ends Ban On Margarita Pitchers
[2] Alabama ABC says ‘no’ to Margaritaville with pitcher ban
[3] ABC Reverses Ban on Margarita Pitchers – Yellowhammer News
[4] This State Took A Bold Stand Against Margarita Pitchers
[5] Alabama Overturns Margarita Pitcher Ban Amid Public Outrage …
[6] Alabama Bans Margarita Pitchers, Immediately Regrets It – Yahoo
[7] 8 States With The Strangest Alcohol Laws
[8] Jimmy Buffett’s home state ends ban on Margarita pitchers – KATU

Heritage Sites and Day of the Dead

San Antonio hosts one of the largest Day of the Dead celebrations in the United States, rivaling Los Angeles. Muertos Fest at Hemisfair is a free three-day festival (October 24-26, 2025) featuring over 80 altars, five performance stages, art vendors, and the tallest catrina and catrín statues in the country. The Day of the Dead River Parade features decorated barges floating along the River Walk. Historic Market Square hosts celebrations with cultural activities, traditional altars, face painting, and live music. La Villita Historic Arts Village offers workshops and cultural programming.axios+5

Sam Houston, Crockett, Bowie, and the Alamo

The Alamo’s story involves complex historical figures. William Barret Travis, James Bowie, and David (Davy) Crockett led approximately 189-257 defenders during the 13-day siege from February 23 to March 6, 1836. All defenders were killed when General Antonio López de Santa Anna’s Mexican army of 1,500-4,000 troops stormed the mission.abc13+2​

James Bowie arrived at the Alamo in January 1836 at General Sam Houston’s request to assess whether to defend or demolish the fort. Bowie, who had earned a fierce reputation as a fighter and knife inventor, became ill during the siege and was confined to bed during the battle. He shared command with Travis after an election among the volunteers.sofmag+1

Davy Crockett arrived at the Alamo with volunteers, unaware of the impending battle with Santa Anna’s army. Contrary to popular mythology, Crockett typically wore a slouch hat rather than a coonskin cap and likely dressed in civilian clothes rather than buckskin.reddit

Sam Houston was not at the Alamo during the battle. As Commanding-General of the Texas Army, he was conducting Cherokee treaty negotiations and attending the constitutional convention at Washington-on-the-Brazos. The myth that the Alamo defenders “bought time” for Houston to build an army is historically inaccurate—Houston had no troops to command during the siege. On April 21, 1836, Houston led 800 troops shouting “Remember the Alamo!” to defeat Santa Anna at San Jacinto, securing Texas independence.gilderlehrman+3

Slavery and the Alamo

Slavery played a significant, though long-denied, role in Texas history. Many Alamo defenders were slaveholders, including Travis and Crockett. An enslaved man named Joe, owned by Travis, survived the battle and became a primary source of information about the siege. By 1836, Texas had approximately 5,000 enslaved people among 30,000 American immigrants.texastribune+3​

Historians increasingly recognize that preserving slavery was a major motivation for the Texas Revolution. Mexico had largely abolished slavery, creating friction with Anglo settlers who viewed enslaved labor as “necessary to develop the region’s agricultural potential”. As Stephen F. Austin wrote in 1832, “Nothing is wanted but money, and Negros are necessary to make it”. The Texas Constitution remains “the only one in world history to guarantee slavery”.tea.texas+2​

Alamo Funding

The Alamo receives substantial public funding. The Texas General Land Office (GLO) oversees the site and secured a historic $400 million appropriation in the 2023 state budget for the Alamo Plan. This funding supports construction of the Alamo Visitor Center and Museum, church and Long Barracks restoration, Cenotaph restoration, and plaza improvements. To date, the Texas Legislature has appropriated $550 million total for the Alamo Master Plan and Complex. The Alamo Complex Account (Fund 5152) provides additional dedicated revenue from admissions and operations. The new museum is scheduled to open in 2027.expressnews+8​

Ozzy Osbourne and the Alamo

On February 19, 1982, an intoxicated Ozzy Osbourne was arrested in San Antonio for public intoxication after urinating in Alamo Plaza. Contrary to popular belief, Osbourne did not urinate directly on the Alamo building but rather on the Cenotaph, a 60-foot monument across the street honoring the Alamo defenders. The incident occurred after Sharon Osbourne hid his clothes to prevent him from going out, forcing him to wear one of her dresses.loudwire+2

Osbourne was freed on $40 bond and performed that evening, but was banned from San Antonio until 1992. In 1992, he made a public apology and donated $10,000 to the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, the organization that maintained the Alamo grounds. “We all have done things in our lives that we regret,” Osbourne said. “I am deeply honored that the people of San Antonio have found it in their hearts to have me back”. The 2016 police report confirmed he was arrested only for public intoxication, not specifically for the urination.ultimateclassicrock+2​

MAGA and Alamo History Alteration

The Alamo has become a major battleground in contemporary culture wars over how American history should be taught. Republican state leaders have aggressively opposed efforts to broaden the Alamo narrative beyond the 1836 battle to include Indigenous history and slavery’s role in the Texas Revolution.

In 2021, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick canceled a scheduled discussion at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum for authors of Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth, calling it “fact-free rewriting of TX history”. The book argues that slavery was a primary motivator for the Texas Revolution and that the Alamo myth has been used to promote white supremacy. Patrick’s censorship generated widespread attention and actually boosted the book to #9 on Amazon.americanmind+2​youtube​

Texas passed House Bill 2497 in 2021, creating the “1836 Project” to promote “patriotic education” and counter the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1619 Project. The legislation requires promotion of “the Christian heritage of this state” and limits how educators can discuss current events and racism. Critics note that 1836 marked independence only for some Texans—the Texas Constitution legalized slavery and excluded Indigenous people from independence.wikipedia+1​

Another proposed bill would have required the Alamo to “focus on the 1836 Battle telling the history of why Texians and Tejanos fought in the Battle of the Alamo solely as described in the Texas Declaration of Independence“—effectively blocking exhibits from mentioning that major figures were slaveholders. The bill aimed to prevent discussion of any reasons for the Texas Revolution beyond those in the Declaration, which does not mention slavery.jasonstanford.substack+1​

The controversy exploded again in October 2025. On Indigenous Peoples’ Day (October 14), the Alamo’s official account posted: “Today, we honor Indigenous Peoples and their communities, recognizing their history at the Alamo”. Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham immediately responded: “This is frankly unacceptable and it has been deleted. Woke has no place at the Alamo“.texastribune+1

Buckingham sent a scathing letter to the Alamo Trust, criticizing a draft museum script that mentioned “liberty” only 13 times but “slavery” and “enslaved” a combined 70 times. She demanded the site maintain a “battle-centric focus” and condemned what she called “blatant disregard” for focusing exclusively on the 1836 battle.expressnews+2​

Lieutenant Governor Patrick then called for the resignation of Kate Rogers, president of the Alamo Trust, citing her 2023 doctoral dissertation. Rogers had written that she would “love to see the Alamo become a beacon for historical reconciliation and a place that brings people together versus tearing them apart, but politically that may not be possible at this time”. She questioned the 2023 Texas Legislature’s “conservative agenda” including bills that “ban educators from teaching Critical Race Theory” and “prohibited the discussion of slavery”. Rogers also referenced Forget the Alamo, noting its argument that maintaining slavery was a primary Texas Revolution motivator.pbs+2​

Patrick deemed Rogers’ views “incompatible with the telling of the history of the battle of the Alamo” and “troubling”. Rogers resigned on October 24, 2025, stating “it became evident through recent events that it was time for me to move on”. She was immediately replaced by Hope Andrade, former Texas Secretary of State and longtime Alamo Trust board member.sanantonioreport+3​

San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones called Rogers’ departure “a huge loss for our state,” stating “The courage to tell the varied experiences of those at the Alamo—not pandering to certain people—should drive how we help the next generation learn”. Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai, whose Japanese American family was interned during WWII, called Patrick’s interference “gross political interference” and warned: “The next thing you know, they will be denying Japanese internment”.news4sanantonio+1​

This pattern reflects a broader national effort by Trump-aligned Republicans to minimize discussion of slavery and problematic aspects of American history in museums and education. As historian Kevin Roberts noted, “We are currently undergoing an attack on our history… Texas has become a symbol for this attack”. Conservative activists have described historical context about slavery and Indigenous peoples as creating “politically correct theme parks” rather than honoring Texas heroes.politico+5​

The Alamo’s $500 million restoration, scheduled to open in 2027 with eight galleries including an Indigenous Peoples Gallery, remains caught between competing visions: Republican state leaders demanding exclusive focus on the 1836 battle as a “shrine to Texas Liberty,” versus historians, local officials, and educators advocating for comprehensive historical truth that includes slavery’s role and Indigenous presence.texastribune+3