SAN ANTONIO – A team of archaeologists armed with shovels and trowels began an unprecedented dig Wednesday at The Alamo.
The goal of the dig is to find the original location of the shrine's south and west walls.
The archaeologists said they expect to find glass shards, ceramic and Indian artifacts.
The work is part of an effort to design a new master plan for the Alamo Complex and surrounding area, called Reimagine the Alamo.
"For the master plan team to really get a sense of where the World Heritage boundaries exist, and how they're going to develop the site, they really need to know where those walls were when this was a mission, and subsequently through the battle period," said lead archeologist Nesta Anderson. "We are very excited to be part of this team."
Another part of the plan includes the Texas General Land Office buying the Crockett, the Palace and Woolworth historic buildings.
If the scientists are correct, the west wall runs right into the buildings, which could pose a problem if they decide to build a wall on the historic location.
"There's no predetermined ideas, there is nothing that's been already planned, or scheduled, for these buildings to be there, or not to be there," Alamo director Becky Dinnin said.
The team hopes to have the work completed in eight years.
The Alamo master plan can be found on the website, ReimagineTheAlamo.org, as well as on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.
WATCH BELOW: The archeological prep work and the concurrent historic structure assessment of the Alamo Chapel. (Courtesy of The Alamo YouTube page.)