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The Alamo Trust appears to be backing away from previous commitments to include a broader view of Texas history at the former Mission San Antonio de Valero.
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham posted on the social media platform X that “Woke has no place at the Alamo.”
Buckingham oversees the General Land Office, the custodian of the state-owned historic site and 1836 battleground, which is managed and operated by the nonprofit Alamo Trust.
The Republican former state senator was reacting to a previous post, now deleted, from the Alamo Trust that on Monday said they honor Indigenous Peoples and their communities, highlighting that the Alamo Visitor Center will feature an Indigenous Peoples gallery, celebrating those who shaped the region. That gallery had been set to open in 2027.
Monday was Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day—a dual designation which has become a flashpoint in the culture war.
The San Antonio City Council officially recognized Indigenous Peoples Day in October 2019 to honor Native Americans alongside the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, for whom the federal holiday was declared in 1937. President Joe Biden signed a declaration recognizing both days.
The Alamo Trust also posted online a tribute to Columbus Day, but that post has not been deleted.
In her post, Buckingham added that The Texas General Land Office will investigate how the Alamo Trust runs its social media accounts.
"The @TXGLO is investigating how the Alamo Trust reviews and approves content for social media posts to Official Alamo accounts," wrote Buckingham.
"We will be holding those responsible accountable and will be implementing a new process to ensure my office has oversight."
Buckingham's post was triggered after far-right activist Michael Quinn Sullivan posted, “Who thought this was a good idea?” and then adding that Buckingham “needs to address this.”
The state of Texas is undertaking a multi-year $500 million restoration and preservation of the Alamo, which includes building a new visitor center and museum, which was to represent more diverse perspectives in its historical narrative. However, these efforts to broaden the narrative have also drawn backlash, highlighting a contentious debate over Texas history and how it should be presented.
Buckingham’s declaration that recognizing Indigenous communities and their history at the Alamo is “woke” and thereby forbidden seems to ignore that the Alamo’s most famous defender, Davy Crockett, also defended Native American rights during his time in Congress.
Crockett was one of the very few Southern congressmen — and the only member of the Tennessee delegation — to vote against Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act of 1830, which authorized the forced relocation of Native tribes from their homelands in the Southeast to lands west of the Mississippi.
Also, Sam Houston, the first president of the Republic of Texas, was a supporter of Native Americans.
During his early political career and later as a U.S. senator, Houston spoke out against government corruption in Indian affairs and the brutality of removal policies. He criticized Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act and argued for honoring treaties and providing fair treatment to tribes.
Houston tried to protect Native lands from illegal settlement, though he faced strong opposition from many Anglo-Texans who wanted Native expulsion.
