Here we go. Southern States.: Day 45 - Houston: Tunnels, Rothko Chapel, Montrose, San Jacinto Battleground

Houston has an extensive underground tunnel system. They are in the basement of the city and they go all over the downtown. The tunnels are made of tiled hallways with artificial lights and they are lined with small fast food places, barbers, jewelry shops and occasionally by a gym. Security guards, lawyers, public officers, they all go down for lunch break and then reemerge through elevators or escalators to the foyer of a bank or a shopping mall inside one of the many shining skyscrapers downtown. Only a few brave souls walk in between buildings on the surface. I imagine in the summer this tunnel system gets used a lot.

We reemerge by Alley Theater...

The Montrose area of Houston is an elegant residential neighborhood, I assume for students and university professors and their families. It reminds me of Palo Alto in California.

We went to visit the Rothko Chapel which contains on its walls fourteen black but color-hued paintings by Mark Rothko, an American abstract expressionist.

Inside I recognized religious elements according to my interpretation from my life experience. I saw the trinity, the crossing of the naves and the four evangelists, Mark, Matthew, Luke and John, the choir, where the panel has a raised and taller frame at the bottom, and the cupola. Everything is perfectly symmetrical which gives serenity to the eye, but it is also a dark place with the large black panels enhancing the gravitas of the place. Photos were not allowed.

In the garden, the sculpture, Barnett Newman’s Broken Obelisk stands by a reflecting pool, dedicated to Martin Luther King. We sat on a bench outside. It had a very peaceful feeling, and it felt good after all the hectic travelling. John and Dominique de Menil were the founders and commissioners of this beautiful place.

In the Montrose neighborhood...

We drove through Rice University...

It was early in the day and so we decided to go and see the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site. Here the Texans, led by general Sam Houston, in a surprise attack, won their last battle to achieve independence against the Mexican armed forces led by general Santa Ana on April 20, 1836. In 1936, the monument construction started. It's an imposing column with a nine-pointed star at the very top, facing a large rectangular pond. The star sculpture can be seen as a star from any direction and symbolizes the Lone Star Republic. Texans love this star so much, that you can see it in every home, on every building, even on the walkways. Like in one of the funniest episodes of the TV comedy Portlandia, 'put a bird on it', here is 'put a star on it' 😂

Each side of the monument has words engraved on it, describing the battle and who, when and why it was fought. In the 'who', the Italians are included.
Bill had an epiphany about California, which maybe would have not been able to get its independence if it wasn't for this battle.
Then we got to hypothesizing about California and Texas if they stayed with Mexico...Slavery would not have happened in this territory...no Civil War?...Union against Mexico? Mexico would be ginormous... All the major movies would be in Spanish...😂