opening of message from Antonio López de Santa Anna to the Mexican people on his return from exile in Colombia, 1853 (from the Mexico Documents Collection)
As part of our Hispanic Collections, the Mexico Documents Collection is a small assortment of documents related to the government and people of Mexico, sure to provide some interesting research. The collection was assembled from another, larger collection of manuscripts and is available for study thanks to the generosity of a handful of donors.
Given the variety of the collection’s sources, what has emerged is a potpourri of papers dating back as far as 1570, running through the Texas Revolution, the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848, and extending as far forward as 1898. The documents run the gamut from dealing with the administration of states and territories such as Tamaulipas to communiqués and decrees from Antonio López de Santa Anna.
Researchers and scholars with fluency in Spanish should find these materials wholly approachable. However, for those whose Spanish may be limited, English translations are available for many of the documents. Information regarding provenance, when known, has also been included alongside the materials.
petition from the Barefoot Monks to Philip V, King of Spain (from the Mexico Documents Collection)
A detailed finding aid for the Mexico Documents Collection is available online and the collection itself remains open and available for study in the Special Collections Reading Room, at the University of Houston. No appointment is necessary and we look forward to assisting you with your research when you are ready to visit us.