Can you find the Mer Spot?

Hint: Beside the capitol facing Concho County.

Imagine my surprise, when one day, prissy206 Hammand brought me to the side of the river… and jumped!

This mer spot here is one of Antiquity Texas’ hidden secrets. Take a dive after a hard day’s work to get away from the hustle and bustle of Antiquity… Come partake in the peace and serenity this place has to offer.

Antiquity Texas: Getting Around

So you are all dressed and ready to ride Let me formally welcome you to Antiquity Texas!

There are several landing points at Antiquity Texas. The main landing point is at Port of Corpus Christi. The port is a nice welcome area for all visitors. Maps and tours of the sim can be found here.

Antiquity Texas is really big so you might want to take a free ride: either in a carriage or on a horse. I’ll take the horse. Just ‘cos it’s cooler.

There are many builds on the sim that are based on real-life landmarks. I highly recommend coming to visit, especially if you’re Texan or have been to Texas. You will immediately sense the likeness between Antiquity Texas and Real World Texas.

I’ve taken a few pics here and there… Let’s see if you can recognise any of these buildings

You been a good boy, horsey…

xx

Jinx Ashley

Secretary of Tourism

Antiquity Texas: Dressing Up

Before we get to exploring Antiquity Texas, let’s put on some fine clothes .

Outfit: Don Martin Brown Suit (gift–includes Tophat)

Boots: Boots by Jacon Cortes

Earrings: Los Texanos Diamond Stud Earrings (gift)

Not forgetting the ladies.

Ladies, get your lovely red dress here!

To be continued…

Jinx Ashley

Secretary of Tourism

iReport.com: Texas History and The Alamo

by JaneyBracken [link: http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-55654 ]

Being from England I must admit to not knowing a great deal about American History, however, I had heard of the Battle of the Alamo and the terrible loss of life that went on there. My good friend Wheemzel DeCuir told me that she had recently visited the Second Life sim called ‘Antiquity Texas’ where there is a replica of the Alamo Mission, so I thought I would have a look for myself

I was lucky enough to meet Texan Jacon Cortes, who, with his real life brother avatar Tocho Cortes and their partner from France avatar Pixapao Xeno, own the Antiquity sim. Antiquity Texas is a role playing sim and visitors are requested to wear Victorian style clothes when they enter the site. Jacon gave me a beautiful ladies’ riding outfit, which I put on to explore the area. Jacon is the SL Texas Attorney General and Antiquity Ambassador.

Jacon gave me a guided tour and our first stop was the SL Texas Governor’s Mansion in Austin Texas. The building is beautifully put together by Jacon and he told me he worked from original old photographs. Since he had completed the first build in SL there had been a fire destroying part of the real mansion, although luckily a lot of the interior and furniture had been removed for restoration, so at least the fire had not destroyed everything. He then created the SL building again, from another photograph of the rebuilt Mansion.

We moved on to San Jacinto Plaza where the atmospheric SL Alamo building stands (wonderfully built by Jacon), and the magnificent Texas Capitol Building also fills the skyline. The Capitol was built by Powder Pinkeba, who worked from the blueprints from the library of congress. Jacon had driven over to Austen to take photographs for the textures. I cannot say how impressive this building is, it is totally awe inspiring, and the detail inside is overwhelming. You look up into the great dome, which features photographs of the Presidents and Governors of Texas up until 1899.

There is much to see in the Capitol Building, not only the wealth of real history on display there, but also the classy shopping areas. Jacon is a master designer and builder and has clothes, jewellery and also sets of the most beautiful china and crystal I have ever seen in SL in his shops. In the Senate Chamber there are also art exhibitions featuring John Waterhouse and Mar Chagall.

There is a monument built by Edcion Cortes, which is the first monument in the State Capitol grounds, built in honour of the heroes of the Alamo, Jacon told me that 179 people had died in the battle on the Texan side. The actual battle lasted 13 days from Tuesday 23 February to Sunday 6 March 1836.

We walked around the outside part of the sim where there is an area set aside with tepees and a blazing fire, Jacon explained that there will be information about the Texas Native Americans here. We boarded a canoe and travelled to a lighthouse in Port Isabel, Texas, Jacon further explained that the real life lighthouse was built in 1854. We arrived at the ‘Presidio la Bahia’ (which is considered to be the world’s finest examples of a Spanish frontier fort (built in 1749) and the most fought over in Texas history). The detail inside is totally exquisite and well worth a visit.

Jacon is not only a fantastic builder and designer but he has also come up with an idea that I could see being used all over SL in the future, especially for historic sites like the Alamo. He invited me to go on the automated guided tour, which I did. There is a plaque with a hovering ball above it that you touch, this animates your avatar into walking mode. You then use mouselock view (which means you are looking through your avatars eyes instead of seeing your avatar on screen) and you take a walking tour of the sim as you listen to the audiotape of the real life history of each section as you pass through it. What a brilliant idea and a must for education in SL, so much better than reading text, as you are seeing the places as they are explained to you. Jacon told me that he had asked a friend to do the narration, which was excellent, and they hope to do a Spanish version as well in the near future.

What a wonderful sim to visit, rich with history and just so amazingly built with its magnificent buildings and so much detail and information for visitors. I wish Jacon, Tocho and Pixapao every success for the future.

Texas Capitol Building, Antiquity Texas (153 39 22).

Texas Historical Walking Tour

Greetings and Salutations Fellow Texans.  As some of you may know, I have been working on a walking  tour for Texas.  Finally after much work, the task is complete.  Come on down and try out the tour.  Bring a friend, Texan or non Texan alike, to take a walk thru history.  The tour start is located at the right corner of the landing.  Touch the sign for instructions.  Come feel a taste of Texas surrounded by the beauty of Antiquity Community.

- Attorney General Jacon Cortes

SLMS: Antiquity Texas by Tocho Cortes

This piece was written by our very own General of the Texas Army, Tocho Cortes and published in slmediasource.com. Enjoy! :

http://education.slmediasource.com/texas.html

Excerpt:

When, in consequence of such acts of malfeasance and abdication on the part of the government, anarchy prevails, and civil society is dissolved into its original elements. In such a crisis, the first law of nature, the right of self-preservation, the inherent and inalienable rights of the people to appeal to first principles, and take their political affairs into their own hands in extreme cases, enjoins it as a right towards themselves, and a sacred obligation to their posterity, to abolish such government, and create another in its stead, calculated to rescue them from impending dangers, and to secure their future welfare and happiness.

From this declaration was born the Republic of Texas. Created by the people, for the people, in a land taken long before by the Spanish Empire from the natives that had thrived here for centuries. With six flags having flown over Texas, its history is rich with various cultures including Spanish, French, Mexican, Republic of Texas, Confederate, and American influences…