#8, What do the Canary Islands have to do with the Alamo?

 February 13, 2024

As I was leaving Casa Navarro it was suggested that I also visit the Spanish Governors Palace nearby.  I first went to find a late lunch, something called a “smash burger” at a little eatery near the redesigned Pedro Creek area. 

Following my phone directions, I passed this grand looking red brick building.  It was not the palace, but the Bexar County Courthouse.  I didn’t go in, but outside on a small plaza, was a grouping of bronze figures.  Against the sun, it was difficult to see and photograph, but this tells the story of some of the first settlers of San Antonio that arrived in 1731.

Sent by decree of Spanish King Philip V, 56 people, from 15 families made an arduous one year long journey from the Spanish Canary Islands near Africa.  After 6 months of travel in a wooden boat, they traveled by foot for 6 more difficult months to establish the village of San Fernando de Bexar.  That village is now San Antonio.

When I found the correct address, there didn’t seem to be any palace.  Not a turret in sight, just this squarish-looking white washed building.  

Originally the Presidio San Antonio de Bejar, but traditionally referred to as the Spanish Governor’s Palace, this building was the residence and working office for the Captain of the Presidio.  One of the primary functions of the Presidio was to protect the priests at the Mission San Antonio de Valaro and families around the area.  That mission later became known as the Alamo.  Those 15 families from the Canary Islands were some of the people who needed protection. 

Most of the rooms that make up this thick-walled adobe home were constructed in the 1720s.  A few more were added later as the building had other functions through the years.  When it was fully restored in the 1930s as a historical site, more modification were made, rooms added, and a courtyard garden out back.  The original walls were of adobe, but later rooms were constructed of "rubble stone", where rough broken stones are laid in uneven courses with lime mortar holding it all together.  Then it is all plastered over for uniformity, and to keep out moisture.  This technique is said to require more skill to build than adobe but is stronger and lasts longer. 

Following is a smattering of pictures taken throughout the house.  The linen spread on this lumpy bed seemed to combine several techniques, including tatting and embroidery, in its design.

Below, the parlor, with its smooth stone floors, is all ready for an evening of entertaining or relaxing. 

The zither in the deep niche below reminded me of the one my mother had, that I believe belonged to her father.  I had learned to play Silent Night in the key of C on it.  Unfortunately it didn't survive their house fire.

Deeply set wooden doors.

I thought this stove a very clever design.  Fires can be built under individual "burners" so that the temperature can be varied. Then the ashes are pushed through a hole into the pot below. 

As at Casa Navarro, the rooms stayed cool and airy with the thick walls, and doors open to an early spring breeze.  Also as at that previous museum, I was the only visitor.  I would not have missed visiting the Alamo, but the experiences were completely different.  Being able to stand in uninterrupted silence in a room that is 300 years old and feel the echoes of the voices and lives of those who have stood on the same smooth stones, is inexplicable.