Ashes Of The Alamo Dead, San Antonio, Texas - Roadside America

Skip to Main Content

RoadsideAmerica.comYour Online Guide to Offbeat Tourist Attractions

Navigation

×

• Home
• Maps
• Tips
• Blog
• My Sights
• Video
• Mobile

× State AK AL AR AZ CA CO CT DC DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY AB BC MB NB NF NT NS ON PQ PE SK YT Mex. Other

Ashes of the Alamo Dead

San Antonio, Texas

You probably know the story of the Alamo and its brave-but-doomed defenders, including pioneer superstars Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie. After the siege in February and March of 1836, all of them died at the hands of their Mexican adversaries -- and then what happened? Do you think the enraged Mexicans gave them decent funerals? No. The corpses of the slaughtered garrison were dragged outside, and Santa Anna's soldiers then doused them with oil and burned them in three big bonfires.

The Mexicans, however, couldn't hold their ground. A year later the Texans were in control of San Antonio, and the bones and ashes of the Alamo dead -- still in visible piles -- were shoveled into a large coffin and secretly buried under the altar of what is now the San Fernando Cathedral. The coffin was dug up by accident in 1936, and on May 11, 1938, the remains were placed on public view, inside a fancy sarcophagus, where they can still be seen today.

Ashes of the Alamo Dead

Address:115 Main Plaza, San Antonio, TXDirections:In the left vestibule of the San Fernando Cathedral, just inside the front door. The Cathedral is about a mile west of the Alamo, facing Main Plaza (the heart of the city), just west of the river, between W. Market and W. Commerce Sts. Phone:210-227-1297 Admission:Free RA Rates:Worth a Detour Save to My Sights

Nearby Offbeat Places

Giant Chrome Lenin Head, San Antonio, TX - < 1 mi. Giant Day of the Dead Skeleton, San Antonio, TX - < 1 mi. The Line in the Sand, Bronzed, San Antonio, TX - < 1 mi. In the region: Giant Armadillo, Schertz, TX - 19 mi.

More Quirky Attractions in Texas

Stories, reports and tips on tourist attractions and odd sights in Texas.

Explore Thousands of Unique Roadside Landmarks!

Strange and amusing destinations in the US and Canada are our specialty. Start here.Use RoadsideAmerica.com's Attraction Maps to plan your next road trip.

My Sights

Create and Save Your Own Crazy Road Trip! ...Try My Sights

Mobile Apps

Roadside America app for iPhone, iPad. On-route maps, 1,000s of photos, special research targets! ...More

Texas Latest Tips and Stories

• Feature: Milburn-Price Culture Museum, Vega, Texas
• Mel Chin's Untitled History, Corpus Christi, Texas
• Haunted Dollhouse Museum, San Antonio, Texas
• Branding the Brazos Cattle Sculptures, Waco, Texas
• Restored McDonaldland, Longview, Texas

Latest Visitor Tips

Sight of the Week

Dan Louden's Mural Motel, Kingman, Arizona (Feb 16-22, 2026)

SotW Archive

USA and Canada Tips and Stories

• Stand in a Steam Shovel Bucket, Marion, Ohio
• Replica Old Gas Station, Bucyrus, Ohio
• Shark and KFC Bucket, Keysville, Georgia
• Lackawanna Coal Mine Tours, Scranton, Pennsylvania
• Marker: The White Lady, Irondequoit, New York

More Sightings

Favorite Quirky City Sights

• Amarillo Attractions
• Austin Attractions
• Dallas Attractions
• El Paso Attractions
• Houston Attractions
• Lubbock Attractions
• San Antonio Attractions

Miscellaneous

• About Us
• Contact Us
• Submit a Tip
• Privacy Policy
• Terms and Conditions

Trip Planning Caution: RoadsideAmerica.com offers maps, directions and attraction details as a convenience, providing all information as is. Attraction status, hours and prices change without notice; call ahead!

Credits, Media/Business Inquiries © Copyright 1996-2026 Doug Kirby, Ken Smith, Mike Wilkins. All rights reserved. No portion of this document may be reproduced, copied or revised without written permission of the authors.