San Antonio, Texas
Texas Flag
“The Lone Star Flag”
The State Seal
of Texas
San Antonio
is the 7th largest
city in the United States.
The capitol of Texas is Austin. San Antonio is about 75 miles (120 kilometers) to the southwest of Austin.
Before the arrival of the Europeans, American Indians spent a lot of time on the banks of what is now
called the San Antonio River. The Payaya Indians called the area Yanaguana, which means “refreshing
waters.” It was the perfect place to fish, hunt and live. But all that changed when a group of Spanish explorers arrived in 1691 (about 320 years ago) and decided they wanted to live there too.
Within a few years, a Spanish outpost was formed. It was called San Fernando de Béxar. Soon the
outpost became a village and, since then, that little village has grown and grown. Today, we know it as
San Antonio.
The Alamo
The Alamo was built about 300
years ago and is the most famous
of five Catholic missions that
were built along the San Antonio
River by the Spanish settlers.
Nowadays, the Alamo is a
very popular tourist attraction,
and is visited by about two-and-ahalf million people
every year.
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San Antonio, Texas
Who Owned Texas?
Texas was not always part of the United
States. Did you know that Texas used to
be ruled by Spain? For a while, it was also
ruled by France. And, after that, it was part
of Mexico for a period of time.
Rem
the embe
Ala
r
mo
!
Two Types of Texans
In the early 1800s, Texans had two different
names depending on their race. If you lived
in Texas and did not have Mexican blood,
you were called a Texian. If you lived in
Texas and had Mexican blood, you were
called a Tejano.
Tejano
Texian
Re
the mem
Ala be
mo r
!
The Republic of Texas
When Texas was part of Mexico, some of the
Texians and Tejanos were not happy with the
government. The capital, Mexico City, was hundreds of miles away and because of the distance the people of Texas didn’t get the help they needed from
the Mexican President and government. So, the Texians and Tejanos decided
to break away from Mexico and form a new, independent country; the Republic of Texas. Several battles took place for Texas to gain independence from
Mexico, but none is more famous than the Battle of the Alamo.
There were only about 200 Texians and Tejanos at The Alamo, including a
few women and children, when the Mexican Army attacked in late February of
1836. The Mexican Army had over one thousand soldiers and another thousand
were on the way to join the fight. The battle lasted for 13 days before the Mexican
Army finally broke through the walls and killed all of the soldiers in the Alamo. In
the months to follow, the battle cry “Remember the Alamo” could be heard as the
Texians and Tejanos fought against the Mexican Army for Texas independence.
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Olivia Says:
I never knew
that San Antonio
is one of the oldest
cities in the United States.
Or that Texas used to be
owned by countries that
are all the way on the
other side of the
Atlantic Ocean!
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San Antonio, Texas
Texas Declaration of Independence
The Texas Declaration of Independence was created, literally, overnight. It was important to create it so quickly because at the same time
the Alamo in San Antonio was under siege by the Mexican Army and
the leaders of Texas felt that their opportunity for independence was
approaching fast.
A convention of representatives from each of the fifty-four settlements of Texas was held on March 1, 1836. Five of those delegates
were chosen to write the Declaration of Independece. They prepared the declaration in record time... overnight! It was quickly reviewed, then adopted by the
delegates of the convention the following day.
Influence of Mexico
Throughout the city of San Antonio
you see the influence of Mexico
everywhere. Whether it’s in the
architecture, the food, the language,
or the style of
costumes worn in
local performances.
What can run but never walks,
has a mouth but never talks,
has a head but never weeps,
has a bed but never sleeps?
(answer on page 7)
Paseo del Rio (River Walk)
Along with the Alamo, the River Walk is one of the
most popular places to visit in San Antonio. It is a
developed section of the San Antonio River and runs
right through the center of downtown. All along the
banks of the River Walk are restaurants, hotels,
shops and museums. River taxis are a fun way to
move around central San Antonio and a great way to
see the history of the development of the river walk.
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Everett Says:
The driver of our river taxi told us all about
the River Walk. I was surprised to hear
that they drain all the water from that section
of the river once a year to clean and maintain it.
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San Antonio, Texas
Natural Bridge Caverns
About 10 miles north of San Antonio is one of the biggest caves in
Texas. This cave is formed in limestone, a soft type of rock that
has been there since central Texas was under the ocean millions
of years ago.
There are several types of caves. They can form in lava, ice
or stone. Natural Bridge Caverns is a solutional cave, which
means it was formed when water passed through cracks in the
Earth and slowly dissolved the stone. Formations, such as stalagmites and stalactites, form when water flows through the limestone and leaves little
bits of sediment behind. Those tiny bits of calcite settle, harden again and create the formations.
Ingram Says:
Tasty Tortillas
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 cups of warm milk
In San Antonio, Mexican food is very popular
and at every Mexican restaurant you are sure
to find fried corn chips, spicy salsa and flour
tortillas. Here’s a recipe, so you can make
some yourself! This recipe makes 8 tortillas.
The mud was so
deep inside the
cavern that it sucked
my shoe right off my foot!
There was also a passage
called ‘the birth canal’ that was
so small we had to lay on our
stomachs and drag ourselves
through it with our hands.
It was really cool!
Method:
- Mix together ingredients, until a loose, sticky ball is formed. Knead for two
minutes on a floured surface, until dough is firm and no longer sticky.
- Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
- Cut into eight sections. Roll the sections into balls in
Learn the Language
your hands and place on a plate. Cover dough balls with
In English
In Spanish
Sounds like
plastic wrap and allow to rest for another 10 minutes.
- On a floured surface, roll each dough ball with a rolling
pin until very thin and about eight inches in diameter.
- Cook tortillas, one at a time, at high heat in a dry
skillet, about thirty to forty-five seconds on each side. It
will start to puff up a bit when it’s done.
- Keep cooked tortillas wrapped in a cloth napkin until
ready to eat.
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Hello
¡Hola!
Oh-lah
Thank you
Gracias
Graw-see-us
You’re welcome
De nada
Day nah-dah
Good day
¡Buenos días!
Bway-nos dee-us
Good bye
Adiós
Ah-dee-ose
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San Antonio, Texas
The Timeline of Texas
Use the ‘Missing Dates’ to complete this 400-year timeline:
Missing Dates
1832 The first bloodshed of the Texas
Revolution takes place.
1821 Mexico (including the area of Texas)
gains independence from Spain.
1845 The Republic of Texas becomes the
28th U.S. state.
1836 March 6 – A 13-day siege of the
Alamo by Mexican troops ends on
this day with a battle in which all
remaining Alamo defenders are
killed.
1685 French explorer looking for the
mouth of the Mississippi River,
lands in Texas by mistake and
begins a French colony.
1836 April 21 – In an 18-minute battle at
San Jacinto, Texan troops defeat
the Mexican army.
1519 Spanish explorer maps the Texas
coastline.
1836 Sept. 5 – Sam Houston becomes first
President of the Republic of Texas.
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San Antonio, Texas
Test Your Memory
Using the information to the right, title and color the map below.
Color Texas yellow, and locate the cities of
Austin (the state capitol) and San Antonio.
Oklahoma touches the northern border of
Texas. Color it orange.
The Gulf of Mexico is to the southeast of
Texas. Color it blue.
Mexico is separated from Texas by the Rio
Grande River. Color Mexico pink.
New Mexico lies to the north of Mexico, and
the northwest of Texas. Color it green.
Louisiana is shaped like a boot. Color it purple.
Arkansas shares borders with Oklahoma,
Texas and Louisiana. Color it red.
Review
(answers on page 7)
The Lone Star Flag
1.In the early 1800s, Texans had two different
names depending on their race. If you lived in
Texas and did not have Mexican blood, you were
called a _______________. If you lived in Texas
and did have Mexican blood, you were called a
______________.
2. The Texas Declaration of Independence was written by five men in a very short amount of time.
How long did it take them to write it?
________________________________________
3. Natural Bridge Caverns is formed in limestone
and is a solutional cave, which means ________
_______________________________________
________________________________________
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Did you know? The colors of the Texas flag
symbolize: blue for loyalty, white for purity, and
red for bravery. The single white star is seen as a
symbol of Texas’ independent spirit, and is the reason
for Texas’ official nickname, “The Lone Star State.”
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San Antonio, Texas
Test Your Memory (solution)
Answer Key
“Think it Through” from page 3.
A river.
“Review” from page 6.
1. If you did not have Mexican blood, you were
called a Texian and if you did have Mexican
blood you were called a Tejano.
2. The Texas Declaration of Independence
was written overnight.
3. ...it is a cave that was formed when water
passed through cracks in the Earth and
slowly disolved the stone.
Get Yourself Thinking
These questions are intended to help get the thought process
going, and are well suited for group discussion. These questions may also be modified for excellent writing assignments.
1. While studying the history of Texas it is apparent that
many nations have taken part in building the United States.
Think of your surroundings and see if you can come
up with three different ways that the influence of other
nationalities are apparent where you live. Consider architecture, food and language, among other things.
2. In the 1800s, immigrants from all over the world settled in
Texas when it was still a harsh and dangerous place to live.
Look at a globe and find a location with a very small population and a very harsh environment. Now, imagine you and
your family are going to pack up all of your most valued belongings (they must fit into the trunk of your car) and move
to that location. What would you take with you? How would
it feel to make the long journey without really knowing what
your final location would be like? What if someone in your
family got sick on the way and you couldn’t find a doctor?
How will it be when you arrive to your destination?
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3. What is a declaration of independence? If you were required to write your own declaration of independence,
what would your most important topics be and how
would you write it? After it is written, how will you present it to the people you are declaring independence from?
The Lone Star Flag
Interesting note:
The Texas flag was introduced in 1838, by
Senator William H.
Wharton, and adopted
on January 25, 1839 as
the national flag of the
Republic of Texas.
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