19-Feb-10 0:00 AM CST

The San Jacinto Monument is history for County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia

When asked to write about one thing in the Houston area she loves, Harris County Precinct Two Commissioner Sylvia Garcia chose the San Jacinto Monument.

One of the reasons I am in love with Houston is because this region is populated by so many historic sites. Being the history buff I am, my favorite spot in town is the San Jacinto Monument and Museum. I am a Texan and that can explain why I feel this way.

As you approach the park where it stands, the San Jacinto Monument makes you travel in history. The various markers leading into this unavoidable landmark indicate you are riding the road to independence.

At 570 feet high, the tower overlooks the San Jacinto battleground and the Houston Ship Channel. I am always amazed by the grandeur of this monument and what it represents. Up above, like a jewel, the Star of Texas dominates an area symbolizing our state’s most valued assets: the coast, our natural resources and the indelible strength of its people.

Inside the museum, I always find jewels of all kinds. The images of times past remind me of Houston, the boom town. The hundred-year old black and white photographs show the vibranc

y of a region where fortunes were made and celebrities from around the world travel to witness the power of the oil economy.

Objects like dolls, swords and badges tell me secret stories about people that are no longer among us, but that still whisper in our ears: “Think bigger, be better.”

Every year, in April, the San Jacinto Monument reenacts a battle that was the foundation of the Texan identity. It is then when “The Monument” gets more colorful. Many people wear their vintage clothes, ride their horses and remember with pride a struggle that gave us this land we cherish.

I am in love with its open space, its solid stone walls and the surf it is surrounded by. The San Jacinto Monument is so much part of me. It is a lot more than a landmark; it is the symbol of Texas and its independence.