- Territorial evolution of Mexico
This is a timeline of the territorial evolution of the borders of
Mexico , listing each change to the internal and external borders of the country.Notes
*Many of the borders of states and territories in northern Mexico remain unclear; the northern border of
Sonora , for example, is variously described as either theGila River or theColorado River . The list is not impacted by this confusion, but the associated maps could be, and must estimate the borders. The most important issues are:
**Some of the borders of the states in the northern and northeastern extremes prior to Texan independence and theMexican Cession .
**The extent ofSanta Fé de Nuevo México .
*Minor border adjustments with theUnited States , including the severalRio Grande border disputes , are not shown.Timeline
;
October 4 1824 The1824 Constitution of Mexico was enacted, creating the United Mexican States and replacing theMexican Empire , which had collapsed onMarch 19 1823 . The constitution organized the country into 19 states and four territories. In the aftermath of the end of the empire,Central America n regions mostly voted not to stay a part of Mexico, withChiapas , formerly part ofGuatemala , being the only area that favored remaining in Mexico. However, rebels in one part of Chiapas,Soconusco , proclaimed its separation from Mexico onJuly 24 1824 , and it was formally annexed by theFederal Republic of Central America onAugust 18 1824 .The founding states were:
#Chiapas
#Chihuahua
#Coahuila y Tejas
#Durango
#Guanajuato
#Jalisco
# México
#Michoacán
#Nuevo León
#Oaxaca
#Puebla
#Querétaro
#San Luis Potosí
#Sonora y Sinaloa
#Tabasco
#Tamaulipas
#Veracruz
#Yucatán
#Zacatecas . The four territories were::#Alta California :# Baja California:#Colima :#Santa Fe de Nuevo México .;
November 18 1824 The Federal District ("Distrito Federal") was created aroundMexico City ("Ciudad de México"), separating it from the state of México. Its original dimension was a 8.38 km perfect circle around thePlaza de la Constitución for a total area of 220 km². (This was later increased to 1,700 km² in 1854 by PresidentAntonio López de Santa Anna , and subsequently reduced under PresidentPorfirio Díaz to its present 1,479 km² between 1898 and 1902. This map shows only its modern extent.);
November 24 1824 The territory ofTlaxcala was split from the state ofPuebla .;
September 30 1830 The state ofSonora y Sinaloa was split into two states,Sinaloa andSonora .;
May 23 1835 The territory ofAguascalientes was split from the state ofZacatecas .;
March 2 1836 Due to disapproval of the government ofAntonio López de Santa Anna , the Tejas region of the state ofCoahuila y Tejas declared independence. The remainder was renamed simply Coahuila. TheTreaties of Velasco would signify the end of theTexas Revolution onMay 14 1836 , creating theRepublic of Texas .;
January 17 1840 Voicing the same concerns as Texas, the states ofCoahuila ,Nuevo León , andTamaulipas declared independence from Mexico as theRepublic of the Rio Grande ; since the border of Texas was never conclusively decided, they claim a northern border of theNueces River , while Texas claims a southern border of theRio Grande .;
November 6 1840 TheRepublic of the Rio Grande rejoined Mexico after a short and failed war of independence.;
September 11 1842 The district ofSoconusco rejoinedMexico as part of the state ofChiapas .;
December 29 1845 The United States of America annexed theRepublic of Texas , admitting it as the state ofTexas . A large area remains in dispute, helping to trigger theMexican-American War .;
January 1 1846 The state ofYucatán declares independence, for the same reasons as theRepublic of Texas andRepublic of the Rio Grande , forming the Republic of Yucatán.;
February 2 1848 TheTreaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo formally ended theMexican-American War , forcing great concessions onMexico . All disputes withTexas are abandoned; the border between theU.S. state ofTexas and Mexico is set at theRio Grande , officially transferring portions ofChihuahua ,Coahuila , andTamaulipas to the United States. Furthermore, the United States received what is now referred to as theMexican Cession , equivalent to all of the territories ofAlta California andSanta Fe de Nuevo México .;
August 17 1848 The Republic of Yucatán rejoined Mexico after theCaste War of Yucatán forced them to seek outside help.;
December 30 1853 TheUnited States bought the northern strip ofSonora andChihuahua , measuring 76,770 km², for $10 million, the region now known as theGadsden Purchase .;
February 12 1857 The1857 Constitution of Mexico was adopted, reorganizing some states.Nuevo León is merged intoCoahuila ;Aguascalientes ,Colima , andTlaxcala all had their status changed from territory to state; and the state ofGuerrero was created from portions of México andPuebla .;
April 29 1863 The state ofCampeche was split fromYucatán .;
February 26 1864 The state ofNuevo León was re-split fromCoahuila .;
January 15 1869 The state of Hidalgo was split from the state of México.;
April 16 1869 The state ofMorelos was split from the state of México.;
December 12 1884 The territory ofTepic was split from the state ofJalisco .;
November 24 1902 The territory ofQuintana Roo was split from the state ofYucatán .;
February 5 1917 With the promulgation of the 1917 Constitution, the territory ofTepic had its name and status changed to the state ofNayarit .;
February 7 1931 The territory of Baja California was split into North Territory of Baja California and South Territory of Baja California.;
November 21 1952 The "North Territory of Baja California" changed its status and became the state ofBaja California .;
October 8 1974 The territory ofQuintana Roo changed into a state status. The "South Territory of Baja California" changed its status and became the state ofBaja California Sur , giving Mexico its present-day configuration.References
*cite web |url=http://statoids.com/umx.html |title=Statoids - Mexico States |accessdate=2007-03-14 |author=Law, Gwillim
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