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The Alamo Messenger
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Greetings and welcome to the February 2016 edition of The Alamo Messenger. Last month we looked at the continued problems between Mexico and Spain border disputes within the Texas colonies and the role of the Masons in Mexican government. This month's articles explore what life was like in Mexico during the 1820s and 1830s, with special focus on conditions in Texas during this period.
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Feature Article: Mexico During the Early National Period
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The Treaty of Cordoba ushered in an era of great change for Mexico. For the first time in 300 years, the people of Mexico were free to govern themselves. The newly independent nation had to decide how to self-govern. Many questions faced Mexico, including: How do you govern and protect such a large area of land? What type of government should be established? Who should be involved in its creation? The answers to these questions would plague the early Mexican republic. Keep Reading
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This religious medal is of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico. It is stamped with the year 1805. Our Lady of Guadalupe plays an  important role in the lives of the people of Mexico. Father Miguel Hidalgo used her image as the banner for his army to follow in the war for Mexican Independence. Mexican General Guadalupe Victoria took that name in honor of our Lady of Guadalupe and the eventual outcome of the war for independence, victory. This pendant was captured at the battle of San Jacinto and is a part of the Alamo Collection.
Photo and text by Ernesto Rodriguez, III, Alamo Associate Curator.
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Public Life in Coahuila y Tejas
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The Constitution of 1824 established Mexico as a federal republic. Although this provided a national framework for the country's governance, each state in the federation proceeded to write and ratify its own constitution. The national constitution had combined two former Spanish provinces, Coahuila and Texas, into a twin state called Coahuila y Tejas. The action was taken because neither by itself possessed the population required for statehood. Work on creating the constitution for the state was the first order of business for legislators meeting in Saltillo, the newly designated state capital. Keep Reading
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Colonization: Prelude to the Revolution
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During the early Mexican national period, many of the men and women who would become well known for their part in the Texas Revolution began entering into Texas. Some, like Benjamin Milam and Steven F. Austin, had been in Texas before Mexican independence was officially declared. Others, like William B. Travis and Sam Houston, entered after the law of April 6, 1830 was passed and the borders officially closed to new immigrants. So much movement within Texas in the years leading up to the revolution, when the tension between Federalists and Centralists throughout Mexico was growing, makes it important to understand who was in Texas and where and how they were living. Keep Reading
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In Their Own Words
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Frances "Fanny" Erskine Inglis was born into the well-to-do Inglis family of Edinburgh, Scotland in 1804. Following the bankruptcy of the family and the death of her father, Fanny and several other family members immigrated to Boston, Massachusetts in 1831 and later to Staten Island, NY. In 1838 Fanny married Angel Calder�n de la Barca, a Spanish diplomat. In 1839, Calder�n was appointed as Spain's first minister to the republican Mexico, a post he held until 1842. In 1843, Fanny published Life in Mexico, During a Residence Of Two Years In That Country, which contains selections from her diary and letters home during her two years in Mexico. Fanny's account of her time in Mexico is full of observations and descriptions about the people, landscapes, customs and government of Mexico. This volume is therefore considered by many researchers as one of the best sources about life in the early Mexican republic. The following selection from Life in Mexico recounts Fanny's first meeting with General Santa Anna in 1839, some three years after the Texas revolution. Keep Reading
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In 1901, historian James T. DeShields commissioned Irish artist Henry McArdle to paint a portrait of Benjamin Rush Milam. DeShields needed the portrait for a book he was working on about the Texas Revolution. McArdle set about researching the man and his life, even contacting Milam's son,  J.R. Milam. The younger Milam was able to provide McArdle with images of his father as well as recollections about his physical features. The completed work was titled, "Ben Milam Calling for Volunteers". That painting is now 105 years old and is part of the Alamo collection. It was recently restored using a grant from the Elizabeth Huth Coates Foundation and will be on display as part of a temporary exhibit entitled, "Ben Milam and The Siege of Bejar" beginning February 20, 2016. On this same date, the Alamo will offer an Educator's Workshop entitled "From Mission to Shrine: Using Art to Teach Texas History." This workshop will utilize the McArdle painting, as well as, the beautiful fresco art on the walls of the Alamo Shrine to highlight the revolution and mission periods of Texas history. Keep Reading
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