Secrets of the Alamo Unveiled

Along with bullets and bayonets, a wide range of artifacts discovered at the Alamo are now on display after an extensive preservation effort.

"It tells us about the daily life of the people who were living here. It's important that we understand that rich culture and rich heritage," City Archaeologist Kay Hindes tells Newsradio 1200 WOAI.

Included in the display that was unveiled this morning are ceramics, glass beads, coins and a tin of tobacco.  Some of it was discovered during last year's Alamo excavation.  Other items date back to 1966 digs.  

Hindes says, from the ground to the museum, a lot of work was done.

"For each week in the field, you spend six weeks in the lab doing analysts," she explains.

 Shawn Marceaux, who heads UTSA's center for archaeological research, says their team used well-honed techniques to both preserve the items, but also learn where they were sourced.

"It takes some research to figure out that this was an 1891 Mexican coin pen or an hand-carved cuff link," he says.

He says the items are a special part of Texas history and were handled with the utmost reverence