xii Chronology
1806 El Misisipí, the first U.S. Spanish-language newspaper, is published in
New Orleans.
1810 Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a priest in the Mexican town of Dolores,
organizes mass protests against the Spanish. His September 16 procla-
mation, the “Grito de Dolores,” rallies tens of thousands of Mexicans to
join the revolt. Though Hidalgo’s rebellion is eventually defeated by
forces loyal to the Spanish Crown and the priest is executed for trea-
son, independence movements persist throughout the decade in
Mexico.
1821 Augustín de Iturbide, a wealthy military officer, issues a statement—
the Plan de Iguala—that declares Mexico independent of Spain. The
Plan de Iguala, which protects the property rights of large landowners
and the Catholic Church and institutes a constitutional monarchy to
rule Mexico, also grants citizenship to Indians and to Mexicans of
African descent.
Two months after formal Mexican independence, an Anglo trader
makes the overland journey to Santa Fe. Santa Fe becomes an impor-
tant stop in the east-west trade artery that comes to be known as the
Santa Fe Trail. The growth of trade along the Santa Fe Trail shifts the
orientation of many Mexicans in the region from focusing southward
to central Mexico, along a north-south axis, to looking eastward to the
United States.
1830s Merchants from Puerto Rico and Cuba in New York City form the
Sociedad Benéfica Cubana y Puertorriquena (Cuban and Puerto Rican
Benevolent Society).
1836 Tensions over slavery and the consolidation of political, economic, and
military power in Mexico City lead to war in Texas. The Texas Revolt,
which had begun in 1835, continues through the winter and into the
spring of 1836, including the Mexican victory at the Alamo in San
Antonio. After several severe Mexican defeats, Texas wins its indepen-
dence in the late spring of 1836.
1844 The Dominican Republic achieves its independence from Haiti. In the
immediate postindependence period, leaders of the Dominican Repub-
lic and the United States establish diplomatic relations and increas-
ingly discuss the annexation of the newly independent nation to its
larger neighbor to the north.
1846 The Mexican-American War begins. The war ends two years later, in
1848, with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
1847 A year after U.S. troops invade northern New Mexico and establish a
military government, an armed rebellion of 2,000 Mexicans and
Pueblo Indians kill over two dozen Anglos and Mexicans, including
the governor of New Mexico. The final battle leaves 150 insurgents
dead and is followed by mass trials for treason. U.S. officials ultimately
