Hot take: The Alamo in San Antonio is way more commercialized than history books let on

I visited last month and counted 4 gift shops and a wax museum before I even got to the actual chapel, so can someone do a deep dive on when exactly this site turned into a tourist trap versus a real memorial?

2 comments

2 Comments

elliot_roberts5d ago

Have you considered that maybe the gift shops and wax museum actually help fund the preservation of the site? Without that money, the Alamo might not even be standing for people to visit and reflect on its history.

wells.christopher4d ago

That's the same argument every tourist trap in America uses though... pretty soon the whole historic site is just a backdrop for the merch, @elliot_roberts.