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 Plaza De Armas
N 29° 25.473 W 098° 29.689
14R E 549002 N 3255129
Where San Antonio started
Waymark Code: WM2ZRH
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/16/2008
Views: 65
This is the place where San Antonio's modern history started. The Spaniards were here as early as 1691 and built a fort in 1722. Today, Plaza de Armas is home to San Antonio's City Hall, built in 1892. |
View this marker in the Texas Historic Sites Atlas
Marker Number: 4046
Marker Text:
One of Oldest permanently settled locales in Texas, this area was first explored by Spaniards in 1691. The Presidio (Fort) of Bexar was relocated here in 1722 and for many years, Plaza was enclosed on three sides by adobe fortifications. During Mexican Rebellion of 1813, captured rebels were placed in Comandancia (now old Governer's Palace) and later executed on Plaza. Many lynchings also occurred at a great oak here.
Military importance of Plaza declined in Republic of Texas Era (1836-45) but place came to be one of the liveliest spots in Texas. A busy market, it teemed with noisy vendors of vegetables, fresh eggs, chili peppers, and live chickens. Oxcarts and wagons stood bulging with hay, hides, and wood. Strolling guitarists, tourists, and girls selling songbirds mingled with pickpockets and other characters. Frequently cock fights were held.
After the 1850s, the Plaza was dominated by a stone courthouse (nicknamed the "Bat Cave"). In the 1880s and later, leading merchants here were the "Chili Queens", who dispensed pungent Mexican food at open air stands.
The present City Hall was completed in 1892, and the old market was moved several blocks west. Although no longer a military or commercial center, ancient plaza remains the municipal heart of San Antonio.
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Visit Instructions:
Please include a picture in your log. You and your GPS receiver do not need to be in the picture. We encourage additional information about your visit (comments about the surrounding area, how you ended up near the marker, etc.) in the log.
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