San Antonio’s Torch of Friendship – Andy Crawford Photography

Sculpture just off River Walk is a step beyond the Alamo

The Torch of Friendship stands in the shadow of the Tower of Americas in San Antonio, Texas.

The 1863 siege of the Alamo in San Antonio was part of the Mexican government’s attempt to maintain possession of the territory that today makes up Texas, and the ensuing massacre at this small Spanish mission has framed much of the history between Texas and Mexico. “Remember the Alamo,” is still an echo of that battle that ultimately resulted in Texas independence.

In 2002, the government that once fought in San Antonio gave the city a 65-foot sculpture as a token of its desire to move past the Alamo.

The Torch of Friendship (in Spanish, “La Antorcha de la Amistad”) stands at the intersection of East Commerce and Losoya streets in downtown San Antonio, just off the famed River Walk and in the shadows of the Tower of the Americas.

The sculpture is the work of world-renowned Mexican sculptor Sebastian, and was commissioned by the Asociación de Empresarios Mexicanos (translated as “Association of Mexican Businesspeople”) as a gift from the Mexican government. It was unveiled on June 28, 2002.