Moses Lapham

San Antonio, TX

Long before wagons, this corridor was an Indigenous road threading from the San Antonio country west toward the Pecos and south through Presidio into northern Mexico. Water was scarce enough that travelers reportedly chewed leather to fight thirst while oxen bolted at the first scent of a spring. From 1835 onward, Texans turned the route into a commercial artery, and during the Civil War it carried scarce goods like rope, shoes, and salt past the Union blockade.

San Antonio, TX

Chosen in 1731 by the Canary Islander settlers of San Fernando de Bexar, the Casas Reales served for more than a century as the seat of government on San Antonio's Main Plaza. From its steps, officials proclaimed the news of empires and republics to the roll of drums; Zebulon Pike passed through in 1807, the green flag of Mexican rebellion flew over it in 1813, and Moses Austin filed his colonization petition there in 1820. Santa Anna made it his headquarters during the siege of the Alamo in 1836, and four years later the deadly Council House Fight erupted here between Texan officials and Comanche leaders.

San Antonio, TX

José Miguel de Arciniega entered the Spanish military as a teenager in 1810 and, after Mexico won its independence in 1821, rose through San Antonio's civic ranks as alcalde and political chief. He served as a land commissioner for Stephen F. Austin's colonies and, after the Texas Revolution, continued in judicial and border-security roles. Fluent in Spanish, French, English, and several Native languages, he remained a leader through every change of government Texas endured.

San Antonio, TX

Spaniards first explored and named this area in 1691, and colonial settlement took hold in May 1718 with the founding of Mission San Antonio de Valero—later known as the Alamo—beside the presidio San Antonio de Béxar. Renamed San Fernando de Béxar in 1731 when it became Texas's first municipality, the settlement kept the name "San Antonio" and served as the province's capital from 1772 to 1824. The city has lived under nine governments, a heritage celebrated at HemisFair '68 on its 250th anniversary.