2023-06-20 00:45:42
175 years ago, when Mexico ceded half of its territory to the United States, an event began that still resonates in the collective memory today.
There are citizens in the United States who say: ‘I did not cross the border. The border crossed me’. These are mainly families of several generations that inhabit a piece of land that used to belong to another country: Mexico.
The day the border moved is marked in a document that 175 years later is a sample of how paper and a few signatures can change the destinies of thousands of people and two entire nations, it is the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
Photo courtesy of the National Archives of the United States showing the first page of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, which sealed the Mexican-American War (1846-48) | Credit: EFE/National Archives taken from El País Photograph provided by the National Archives of the United States showing the first page of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, which sealed the Mexican-American War (1846-48) | Credit: EFE/National Archives taken from El País
In 1848, the country lost half of its territory to the United States as a result of the Mexican-American War, ending with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This monumental territorial loss continues to resonate in the Mexican collective conscience, it is even a topic that usually appears in discussions that revolve around migration, racism or the political relations of both countries.
It was not a single factor that led to this territorial transfer, but a combination of circumstances, policies and personalities. Although the name of Antonio López de Santa Anna, president and military leader, has often been associated with the loss, his role was less direct than popular belief usually ascribes.
Credit: Illustration attributed to Nathan Covington Brooks
In the 1840s, the young Republic of Mexico faced profound political and economic instability. At the same time, the United States, guided by the ideology of “Manifest Destiny,” sought westward expansion under the administration of President James K. Polk. The annexation of Texas and the Oregon Territory only fueled this ambitious expansionism, until the growing tension between the two nations culminated in the US intervention in Mexico.
The intervention of the United States in Mexico began when 25 million dollars were rejected
President Polk, in his eagerness to acquire the territories of Alta California and Santa Fe de Nuevo México, sent John Slidell to Mexico City with a monetary offer of 25 million dollars. This offer was rejected, and Slidell’s actions led to the removal of Mexican President José Joaquín de Herrera, precipitating the military escalation.
Credit: Adolphe Jean-Baptiste Bayot
Polk ordered General Zachary Taylor to advance towards the Rio Grande, seeking to provoke a confrontation that would justify a declaration of war. When Mexican troops responded to the raid, Polk used this to declare war, despite opposition from various members of the US government, including Abraham Lincoln.
The war was devastating for Mexico. The country, overwhelmed in the military sphere and in the midst of an economic and political crisis, could not sustain a conventional war against the United States. For a while, the United States considered annexing all of Mexico, but was met with strong opposition in its own Congress due to racial bias.
Credit: American political prints, 1766-1876 | United States Library of Congress.
Finally, Nicholas Trist, appointed by Polk to negotiate an armistice, managed to agree to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo on February 2, 1848, even ignoring orders from Polk and General Winfield Scott to abandon the negotiations. This treaty marked the end of the war and the beginning of an era of transformation for both countries.
With the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexico ceded 55% of its territory, which includes the current states of California, Nevada, Utah, and part of Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. The United States, for its part, agreed to pay 15 million dollars and assume the debts of the Mexican Government towards US citizens. This event provoked bitter bitterness in the Mexican people, and unleashed a deep national debate on the identity and sovereignty of the country.
Work of Adolphe Jean Baptiste Bayot, signed in 1851 | Credit: Getty Images
This is an aspect that even today, 175 years later, continues to generate mixed emotions. For Mexico, the loss of half of its territory was a traumatic event, a wound to national pride that persists over time. The ‘vintage from the north’, as it is commonly known, was a blow to the country’s self-esteem, marking its history and its relationship with the United States.
In contrast, for the United States, the acquisition of these territories represented the achievement of its continental expansion, complying with the ideology of “Manifest Destiny”. However, this victory also had important consequences for US domestic politics, as it intensified tensions between the North and South over the expansion of slavery into the new territories, a conflict that would eventually lead to the American Civil War.
Credit: Courtesy of the Yale Collection of Western American Culture, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
Likewise, it is important to highlight that this historical event had a profound impact on the lives of the people who inhabited these territories. The indigenous communities and the Mexicans living on the ceded lands suddenly found themselves living in a different country, with different laws and customs. Over time, these communities have struggled to preserve their identity and culture in the face of assimilation pressure.
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Fuente: UNAMEl País, CNDH, Forbes.
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