In 1841, in the middle of New Mexico’s Mexican period, Texas made a bold attempt at conquering the territory of New Mexico.
For 20 years New Mexico was an integral – not a peripheral – part of the nation of Mexico. But an independent Texas had other ideas for the future Land of Enchantment.
Much like New Mexico, Tejas was a distant Spanish territory in the 18th century – a buffer between expanding British and French national interests to the east. Spain, at least officially, prohibited its territories from trading with foreign powers and imposed closed borders in places like New Mexico, Texas, and California.
But after independence from Spain in 1821, Mexico opened its borders with the United States. Only then was the development of the Santa Fe Trail possible. The path led enterprising Americans looking for land to settle down and take advantage of business opportunities. First, Mexico welcomed the Americans because the northern Mexican countries were sparsely populated. Within a few years, acceptance turned to concern when local central government officials in Mexico City reported that too many Americans were entering the Mexican nation.
The Mexican government responded by closing the northern border. In an ironic twist of history, Americans continued to flock to Mexico illegally and settle on land that had been claimed by Native Americans and Mexicans for centuries.
All of this would have been worrying enough until the events of 1841 played out.
Some maps of the times can be unsettling to modern New Mexicans. They show Texas stretching west to the Rio Grande, encompassing more than half of the territory of New Mexico, and including cities like Alburquerque (its spelling at the time), Santa Fe, Taos, Picuris, and Pecos. But these cards were more propaganda than truth, more wishful thinking than reality. This land was never part of Texas.
Manuel Armijo, the three-time Mexican governor of New Mexico, along with Padre Martínez of Taos, is one of the state’s most fascinating historical figures from the 19th century. Like his religious counterpart, Armijo was born in New Mexico, south of Albuquerque, in the late 18th century and witnessed his home being ruled by Spain, Mexico, and the United States
In 1841, during his second term as governor, Armijo was tasked with countering a threat from the east – not from the United States or France, but from the Republic of Texas.
The American-born Texans were in an expansionist mood this year and felt they needed space to develop their newly established republic. New Mexico seemed ripe for inclusion. News reached Santa Fe that a contingent was moving west from Tejanos toward the New Mexico border. Armijo rallied an army of Mexican New Mexicans and led them east to fend off the invading army. This was the Texas-Santa Fe expedition.
The 300 or so Texans were neither prepared for the rough terrain nor for the vast, empty distances of West Texas and East New Mexico. Their misjudgments would cost them dearly.
The brave New Mexicans contingent were able to easily overtake and defeat their opponents, who were in poor shape and half starved when the New Mexicans met them. Armijo captured the Texans, and they were marched south to be detained first in Mexico City and then in Veracruz, Mexico.
The handover of the Texans to a well-armed force from New Mexico was the occasion for a festival. Americans in the New Mexico Territory feared retaliation from New Mexico, but none came. Mexico’s northern countries were safe, at least for the time being.
After negotiations and international intervention, the defeated Texans were finally released to return to Texas. New Mexico remained New Mexico, and the Texans licked their wounds for more than two decades before attempting another takeover of New Mexico in 1862 during the US Civil War.
New Mexico state historian Rob Martínez writes a monthly column for The New Mexican on the state’s rich past. Check out episodes of his YouTube series New Mexico History in 10 Minutes at tinyurl.com/NMHistoryin10.
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