Sonora y Sinaloa

Sonora y Sinaloa New Navarra Indendancy of New Spain (Viceroyalty of New Spain from 1531) 1565–1821 Flag Nueva Navarra (1819) Capital Arizpe Government Viceroyalty Governor-General  - 1565 Nuño de Guzmán History  - Established 1565  - Mexican Independence September 27 1821

Sonora y Sinaloa ("Sonora and Sinaloa", also known as Nueva Navarra or Nueva Andalucia) was a province in the Provincias Internas and under the jurisdiction of the Real Audiencia of Guadalajara (Royal Audiencia of Guadalajara) of Viceroyalty of New Spain. After Independence Sonora y Sinaloa became one of the constituent states of the Mexican Republic. The Sonoran Desert ecoregion covers much of the state.

Sonora y Sinaloa state

Under its Constitution of 1824 Sonora y Sinaloa was a state of the Mexican Republic. The federal constitution used the name "Sonora y Sinaloa". However the state constitution, adopted on 31 October 1825, used the name Estado de Occidente ("State of the West"). The Sonora y Sinaloa state capital was located at El Fuerte, Sinaloa. The first Governor of Sonora y Sinaloa was the Sonoran Juan Miguel Riesgo.

Sonora -and- Sinaloa states

On 30 September 1830, due to constant internal disputes, the state was divided into two – the states of Sonora and Sinaloa. While the territory of Sinaloa corresponds to that of the modern-day state of the same name.

Mexican-American War and territory

Sonora of the 1820s extended north beyond the present day United States–Mexico border. Settlements only existed in the extreme south of the current State of Arizona and the northern frontier was not defined. Maps from the period will show the northern border abover today's international border or as far as either the Gila River or the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. The Mexican-American War, 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and especially the Gadsden Purchase established the present border.

References

• Constitución Política del Estado Libre de Occidente. 1825.(Annotated Spanish version.)
• Olea, Héctor Rosendo. Sinaloa A Través de sus Constituciones. Instituto de Investigaciones Jurídicas. UNAM. México. 1985. (Sp)

See also

• Territorial evolution of Mexico
• Spanish missions in the Sonoran Desert
• Spanish colonization of the Americas