Music Monday ~ Remember the....

On this day, 6 March, in 1836: Battle of the Alamo. After a thirteen-day siege by an army of 3,000 Mexican troops, the 187 Texas volunteers, including frontiersman Davy Crockett and colonel Jim Bowie, defending the Alamo are killed and the fort is captured.

For Music Monday:
From Wikipedia

El Degüello is a bugle call, notable in the US for its use as a march by Mexican Army buglers during the 1836 Siege and Battle of the Alamo to signal that the defenders of the garrison would receive no quarter by the attacking Mexican Army under General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.

"Degüello" is a Spanish noun from the verb "degollar", to describe the action of throat-cutting. More figuratively, it means "give no quarter." It "signifies the act of beheading or throat-cutting and in Spanish history became associated with the battle music, which, in different versions, meant complete destruction of the enemy without mercy."

Marty Robbins' tribute to the battle:










My 2007 post on The Alamo is HERE.


Another archived post of mine, written after our visit to The Alamo and San Antonio is here.

Fateful February Events

Yesterday, on the drive back from San Antonio through deepest Texas, a local station on the car radio reminded us that it was the 50th anniversary of "the day the music died", February 3rd 1959, when Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens all perished in a plane crash. The station was playing music from the hit parades of that long-ago time for the whole day. Nostalgia reigned, until we were out of range.

When we arrived home yesterday evening I looked up planetary positions for 3 February 1959 in the ephemeris. Mars lay at 26 Taurus on that fateful day, conjunct Fixed Star Algol, thought of by ancient astrologers as the most malefic star in the sky; planet Mars was also thought of as a malefic, so here was double trouble. In addition, two other planets with somewhat challenging reputations were in trine, pooling their problematical potential: Saturn at 3 Capricorn, Pluto at 3 Virgo. A fairly worrying sky then!

As I listened to the car radio yesterday I read through some tourist literature we'd picked up in San Antonio and noticed that February 3rd 1836 was the date Colonel William Travis arrived there to lead the defence of the old mission-cum- fortress known as The Alamo, and block progress of Mexican forces sent to reclaim San Antonio and put Texas back under Mexican rule. By 6 March Travis, David Crockett, Jim Bowie and around 150 men died defending The Alamo after a seige of 13 days by the Mexican army, led by Dictator/General Santa Anna.

The seige of the Alamo is covered in a post from March 2007. We'd planned to visit San Antonio then, but postponed our trip. (See The Alamo Garnished With Astrology.) Interestingly Fixed Star Algol is also mentioned there; the star was very close to the Moon's North Node at the time of the Battle of the Alamo, which raged from Tuesday February 23 to Sunday March 6, 1836.

From our 6th floor bedroom window we could see The Alamo, right opposite....I hadn't booked "a room with Alamo view", as these cost quite a bit more, but we got one anyway. A little help from transiting Jupiter, which lay a degree from my natal Sun. A late birthday present from the sky!

The Alamo, garnished with astrology.

There's a proposed trip to San Antonio, Texas, on the cards this week . A trip that's been postponed twice already, from New Year's Eve, then from my birthday in late January. Perhaps it'll be 'third time lucky'. Jupiter has just reached natal Venus in my chart, and HeWhoKnows will celebrate a birthday later in the week - a couple of good omens! The Alamo and the Jim Cullum Jazz Band on Riverwalk are two highlights we hope to include.

Having read several accounts of the Battle of the Alamo and its background history, I'm beginning to realise that there's a lot more to it than could be gathered from that old film starring John Wayne! Movies almost always gloss over some historical aspects, and skip over others which might detract from a well-loved legend. It's hardly possible, anyway, in the 21st century to appreciate 19th century values, especially for a non-Texan and even more so for a 'furriner' like me ! But the courage those people showed is undeniable.

In a nutshell"The Battle of the Alamo commenced in February 1836, and lasted 13 days. The fact that the Texan defenders - who numbered just over 200 - withheld the Mexican Army troops of about 1,500 showcases just how dedicated to the defenders were to the concept of a free and republic Texas. While today the Alamo serves as a symbol of pride for many Texans, it is also a reminder to many around the world of the heroes that perished in the pursuit of freedom."


Looking at a chart of the sky for the fateful date of the fall of the Alamo, 6 March 1836, time 9am (it's said that the battle was over around then), I note that Neptune at 4 Aquarius was in exact square to Saturn (4 Scorpio). The Moon (27 Libra) and Saturn were both in degrees which form part of Via Combusta - thought in traditional astrology to be very unfortunate, especially for the Moon. North node of the Moon(23.32 Taurus) was within 2 degrees of fixed star Algol, also thought by ancient astrologers to be malefic. The sky was distinctly unfriendly!

I noted from many and various reports that the Alamo ruins are said to be haunted. Investigation or cameras within the site itself are not allowed, as it is a burial ground, of course, as well as an historical monument. I'm looking forward to the experience, whether or not there are ghostly apparitions to greet us.