Adina De Zavala: The Mexican-American woman who saved the Alamo. The Alamo is an iconic Texan symbol, but decades passed with little recognition for Adina De Zavala, the Tejana woman who fought to preserve it by barricading herself inside. When it came to historical preservation, De Zavala was tenacious – researching, planning, writing manuscripts and articles on history, lobbying lawmakers and other bigwigs. More recently, De Zavala has earned the moniker “the Angel of the Alamo." It took almost a century for that recognition to catch on in part because of her Mexican last name. Her last name, along with her lack of status, prevented her from fitting in with Anglo high society, particularly amid the deep racial divide emerging in San Antonio at the time. “For her to barricade herself with the keys inside that area of the Alamo was almost her ultimate sacrifice,” Groves said. “‘Whatever is going to happen to me, I know that I have fought to the end’ – almost like she was channeling the men who had fought before her.