Mission San Antonio de Valero, later became famous as the Alamo, was established in 1718, the first of five Spanish missions founded in San Antonio to Christianize and educate resident Indians. The church structure that stands today in midtown was begun about 1755. Its mission role completed, the old buildings were abandoned by 1836 when the site, by then known as the Alamo, became the "cradle of Texas Liberty." Rebelling against repressions of Mexico's self-proclaimed dictator, Santa Anna, a band of 189 Texas volunteers defied a Mexican army of thousands for 13 days of siege (from Feb. 23 to Mar. 6). The Alamo defenders died to the last man, among them such storied names as William Travis, Davy Crockett, and Jim Bowie. Cost to Mexican forces was dreadful. While Santa Anna dictated an announcement of glorious victory, his aide, Col. Juan Almonte, privately noted: "One more such glorious victory and we are finished". The finish came April 21 when Sam Houston's Texans routed the Mexican army at the Battle of San Jacinto near Houston, and captured "the Napoleon of the West," as Santa Anna killed himself. 1996 Copyrights and All Rights Reserved. Courtesy Texas State Travel Office.