Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821. This brought to a close three centuries of Spanish rule in the North American continent, and made New Mexico a part of the Mexican Republic. This change of governments, however, had little initial effect on New Mexico. The most notable change came with the termination of Spanish policies which restricted contact and trade with foreigners. Under Mexican rule, this protectionist policy was replaced with one which encouraged open trade with the outside, especially with the Americanos from an emerging United States of America. Mexico's independence ushered in a new era of commerce along the Santa Fe Trail which changed forever the course of New Mexico's history.

The Santa Fe Trail, which winds its way between Missouri and Santa Fe, became an important commercial route to the West. Santa Fe developed into a bustling trade center from which caravans continued on to northern Mexico along the Camino Real, or to California along the Old Spanish Trail. During this period, "mountain men," fur traders and merchants of various nationalities came to New Mexico, many of whom married into Mexican families and became influential in local politics and commerce. The growing pains of the young Mexican nation, however, did not allow much attention or many resources to be allocated to this distant province. Isolated, generally ignored by the central government, and continually harassed by hostile lndian tribes, New Mexico became increasingly vulnerable to external influence and internal unrest.

The most notable event of this period occurred in 1836, when the Mexican Republic dispatched Albino Perez to New Mexico to assume the governorship and implement a new government. Perez' administration met immediate opposition. Since 1821, most of New Mexico's governors had been native New Mexicans, and the new governor was considered an outsider. Worst of all, Perez replaced many local officials, and instituted plans for new taxes.

On August I, 1837, a group in northern New Mexico issued a proclamation denouncing the new administration. This protest quickly escalated into a full scale revolt which Governor Perez attempted to suppress with a small and badly equipped militia company. Perez' force was overwhelmed by the rebels near Black Mesa, south of present-day Española. Perez was later captured and beheaded. Despite this victory, the rebels did not succeed in their efforts to establish a new government. The influential merchants and rancheros of the rio abajo did not lend their support to the revolt, and when a squadron of Dragoons from Mexico arrived at Santa Fe in January 1838, the short lived Revolt of 1837 came to a bloody end.

A quarter century of Mexican rule in New Mexico ended in 1846. On May 13, 1846, the United States Congress declared war with Mexico, and three months later, General Stephen Watts Kearny and his Army of the West marched along the Santa Fe Trail into New Mexico's undefended northern frontier. Governor Manuel Armijo declared his intention to confront the American army at Apache Canyon, east of the capital, but, in a series of secret meetings with representatives of the American government, Armijo was persuaded not to resist Kearny's forces and instead fled south to El Paso. General Kearny entered Santa Fe on August 18, 1846, and took possession of New Mexico without firing a shot. It was a bloodless conquest, accomplished through diplomacy and guile, much as Diego de Vargas had done during the reconquista of 1692.

On September 22, 1846, General Kearny instituted the Kearny Code, a new set of laws under which New Mexico was to be governed. To administer these new laws, General Kearny appointed Charles Bent as the first civil governor of New Mexico, Donaciano Vigil as Territorial Secretary, and numerous other officials. For the next several months, while war raged in Mexico, all seemed quiet in New Mexico.

But the quiet was deceptive. While the Americans organized a new government in the ancient Spanish capital, plans were being hatched to rid New Mexico of its latest conquerors. Rumors of an impending uprising reached Santa Fe in late December, 1846, and several suspected leaders were arrested. But these actions did not quell the mounting unrest, and on January 19, 1847, Charles Bent, the recently appointed governor, along with several other local officials, were killed at Taos. The northern New Mexico insurrection known as "The Revolt of 1847," had begun.

The revolt quickly spread, but the American army responded decisively. Following a series of battles at Santa Cruz de La Cañada and Embudo in late January, the New Mexicans retreated and set up a defensive position centered around the church of San Jeronimo at Taos Pueblo. After a furious two day battle which began on February 3, 1847, the insurrection was broken and many prisoners taken. A series of tragic trials followed at which a number of the survivors were tried for murder and treason. During the following weeks, nearly two dozen New Mexicans were hanged.

	Introduction
	1. Early Spanish Exploration of the Southwest
	2. Settlement of New Mexico
	3. The Reconquista of New Mexico
	4. New Mexico in the 18th Century
	5. A Spanish Province Becomes Part of the United States
	6. The Territorial Period
	7. The Quest for Statehood
This article, by New Mexico State Historian Robert J. Torrez, appeared in the Official New Mexico Blue Book, Cuarto Centennial Edition, 1598-1998. It has been reprinted here with permission of the author. The New Mexico Blue Book is free, published by the Office of the New Mexico Secretary of State, and may be ordered by calling 1-800-477-3632. For a detailed account of the founding of New Mexico, we recommend The Last Conquistador: Don Juan de Oñate and the Settling of the Far Southwest, by Marc Simmons, University of Oklahoma Press.