Map Description

Historical Map of Mexico and Texas 1845-1848.

The Mexican-American War.


Illustrating:

• Texas in 1845
  
  In 1845, Texas was an independent republic that had broken away from Mexico in 1836 following the Texas Revolution and was now seeking annexation by the United States. Texas was experiencing economic challenges and potential vulnerability to Mexican reconquest. The United States, driven by the ideology of Manifest Destiny, eagerly sought to incorporate Texas into the Union. On December 29, 1845, the U.S. Congress approved the annexation of Texas, making it the 28th state, which dramatically increased tensions with Mexico and was a direct precursor to the Mexican-American War.
  
  
  
• Territory claimed by Texas from Mexico and ceded by Mexico to the United States in 1848
  
  This territory primarily encompassed what is now Texas and parts of New Mexico, with Texas claiming lands that extended well beyond its current borders. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the Mexican-American War, solidified the Rio Grande as the southern boundary of Texas, effectively granting Texas significantly more territory than it had controlled during its time as an independent republic.
  
  
  
• Other territory ceded by Mexico to the United States in 1848
  
  This territory was extraordinarily extensive, comprising what are now the entire states of California, Nevada, Utah, most of Arizona, and parts of New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. This massive land transfer, often referred to as the Mexican Cession, was a direct result of the Mexican-American War and the subsequent Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The United States paid Mexico $15 million for approximately 525,000 square miles of territory, effectively expanding the nation's landmass by about 55% and providing a direct route to the Pacific Ocean.
  
  
  
• Mexico in 1848
  
  Mexico in 1848 was a nation profoundly wounded by its defeat in the Mexican-American War, having lost nearly half its territory. The war had decimated Mexico's economy, military reputation, and national morale. President Antonio López de Santa Anna had been forced into exile, and the country was struggling with internal political divisions.
  

Credits

University of Texas at Austin. From the Cambridge Modern History Atlas, 1912.

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