HistoricSiteMarkers
Progressive & Modern Era

Adina de Zavala

San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

Marker Inscription

As the granddaughter of Lorenzo de Zavala (1789-1836), first vice-president of the Republic of Texas, young Adina de Zavala was exposed to vivid accounts of Texas' Revolutionary and Republican past. She became a guiding force in the preservation of many of Texas' most revered historic structures and sites, including the Alamo, Mission San Francisco de Los Tejas in East Texas, and San Antonio's Spanish Governor's Palace. The "De Zavala Daughters," a women's group formed in Miss Adina in 1889, erected Texas' first historical markers and helped preserve San Antonio's Spanish missions. Her firm belief, later verified, was that remnants of Mission San Antonio de Valero, known in 1836 as the Alamo's long barracks, lay underneath the wooden exterior of buildings adjacent to the Alamo church. By 1893, as president of the De Zavala chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT), Miss Adina had secured the adjacent property owner's commitment to give the chapter first purchase option. In 1908, upon hearing that the 2-story long barracks were about to be razed, Miss Adina barricaded herself inside the buildings for three days and nights in an effort that ultimately prevented their destruction. (1994)

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Granddaughter of Republic of Texas vice-president Lorenzo de Zavala, Adina de Zavala grew up steeped in stories of the Texas past and made its preservation her life's work. She helped save landmarks including the Alamo, the Spanish Governor's Palace, and San Antonio's missions, and in 1889 formed the De Zavala Daughters, who erected some of Texas's first historical markers. In 1908, convinced the Alamo's long barracks held the mission's original walls, she barricaded herself inside for three days and nights to stop their demolition.

Why it matters

De Zavala pioneered the historic-preservation movement in Texas, showing how determined women safeguarded the physical memory of the nation's past for future generations.

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Related people

  • · Adina de Zavala
  • · Lorenzo de Zavala

Related events

  • · Adina de Zavala's 1908 barricade of the Alamo long barracks

Themes & tags

Women's HistoryLandmark

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