The Cos House in the Villita settlement is an outstanding example of an early dwelling in San Antonio. Here General Perfecto de Cos signed articles of capitulation on December 9, 1835, after the Texans had captured San Antonio from the Mexican force.
High walls to give protection as well as privacy, enclose a patio of the Cos House. The house itself is of adobe with very thick walls.
This picturesque old adobe house on Dawson Street is but a few hundred yards from the Alamo and is typical of hundreds of similar early homes still to be seen. At the door of this home is a metate stone, still used by many Mexicans to grind their corn for a masa mixture used in making tortillas.
Located in Military Plaza is the Spanish Governors’ Palace, a restoration of the historic building used by the Spanish governors and vice-governors of the province.
In the keystone over the entrance is the Hapsburg coat of arms bearing the date 1749. Philip V of Spain, founder of the Canary Island settlement in San Antonio was a descendant and heir of the Spanish Hapsburgs.