| Maps: States of Texas |
 |
|
|
Mexican State, 1824
Three years after achieving independence from Spain, Mexican leaders created a federal government using the American model. They divided Mexico into nineteen states and four territories. Texas was joined with the larger, more populated state of Coahuila. The combined state's capital city, Saltillo, was hundreds of miles from Texas.
Antonio López de Santa Anna, the resilient general who had fought first for Spain then for the rebels in the struggle for Mexican independence, ascended to the Mexican presidency in 1833. He quickly declared that Mexico was not ready for democracy, and established a dictatorship. His rise sparked conflict in Texas, where Anglo-American immigrants had settled and become dominant.
Saltillo, Mexico
The Spanish established Saltillo in 1575 in a valley of the Sierra Madre. After Mexican independence in 1821, it was named the capital of the state of Coahuila y Texas.
In the 20th century, Saltillo became a key Mexican industrial and automotive center, dubbed a "mini-Detroit" by the Wall Street Journal in 1995.
"The settlers have now nothing to fear, there is no longer any cause for uneasiness, they must not be discouraged at any little depredations of Indians, they must remember that American blood flows in their veins, and that they must not dishonor that noble blood by yielding to trifling difficulties."
-- Stephen Austin, Texas settler from Missouri
Image Credit:
Texas State Library & Archives Commission
| 
