Aguascalientes was a federal territory of

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, lasting from 1835 and 1857.

History

In 1834 President

Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular mal ...

was taking measures against federalism and moving the country towards a more centralized system. Politicians in

Zacatecas , image_map = Zacatecas in Mexico (location map scheme).svg , map_caption = State of Zacatecas within Mexico , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type ...

looked askance, as they had been supporters and defenders of the existing system since its implementation in 1824. An order to disband federal

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

s in early 1835, was taken in Zacatecas as the end of federalism. The citizens took up arms: they disobeyed the government and prepared to face the

Mexican Army The Mexican Army ( es, Ejército Mexicano) is the combined land and air branch and is the largest part of the Mexican Armed Forces; it is also known as the National Defense Army. The Army is under the authority of the Secretariat of National ...

led by Santa Anna, to whom

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

had given extraordinary powers to appease the Zacatecas rebellion. The people of Aguascalientes, taking advantage of the situation, sought the emancipation from Zacatecas. When Santa Anna arrived in the city of Aguascalientes on March 22, residents expressed their desire for separation. The president then met with them on May 23, 1835. On October 3, 1857, Aguascalientes became a state of Mexico.

Bibliography

References

{{Coord, 22.016667, -102.35, display=title States and territories disestablished in 1857 States and territories established in 1835 Territories of Mexico