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Chapter 91 The Treaty of Havana
Chapter 91 The Treaty of Havana
"This peace of paper is not a peace treaty, it's a damned armistice!"- Major General Albert Sidney Johnston 1863
"Now I understand why the Americanos hate the Ingles so much. You can never trust an imperialist power once you gain your freedom. Let down your guard one second and they shall strike like the snakes that they are."- Major General Ignacio Rojas 1863
"We may not have completed unification but we have won the war, something Mexico has not done in decades."- President Benito Juaerz 1863
In many respects it is quite ironic that the fate of the breakaway nations of New Spain would be decided in the Spanish colony of Cuba. Cuba was chosen as a primary site for the negotiations in 1863 due to its relative close proximity in the Gulf of Mexico and Spain being the only great power in the region that had a neutral stance on the conflict and a say in regional affairs. Both Britain and France were involved through Britain's indirect support of Mexico and France's sending of the Foreign Legion. The United States would not be able to do so at the time for the need to focus on Reconstruction and eliminating the last pockets of Confederate resistance. Brazil could make for an arguable candidate, but its location was too far off and Brazil did not have much close relations with North America beyond the slave trade with Texas. Correspondence between Paris and Madrid had been ongoing since the fall of 1862 and since Spain was falling in prestige with each passing year, Queen Isabella wanted to use Havana as a show of power in the Caribbean and to prove that Spain was still relevant in world affairs. With tens of thousands dead and the war looking to become an increasing stalemate, an agreement for talks was reached and delegates were sent to Cuba in April of 1863.
Negotiations would go on for two months and according to many eyewitness accounts, would become a long and rather heated affair over the simplest of matters. Virtually little love was lost between Mexico and its separatist republics from the 25 years prior, the atrocities that nearly all sides on the war conducted having done little to help. The first day of the Conference nearly saw Mexico walk out as Texas brought in a delegation representing the Rio Grande, which Mexico claimed no longer existed and had no rights to the table. Spanish Foreign Minister Saturnino Calderon de Barca y Collantes is credited by historians for managing to convince both sides to keep talks relatively stable and the talks from going to an abrupt end. The fact that the Treaty of Havana was signed is a miracle of itself in many ways with the bad blood between Mexico and the Republics in hindsight. The peace negotiations would mainly consist of talks over the shifting of territorial boundaries from the war, the first of which being the partition of the Rio Grande. Personal experience of the Texan Army in the Rio Grande proved that the region was highly hostile to the Texans for the creation of the Republic itself and its neglect from their allies in their increased instability. While the resurrection and continuation of the Rio Grande may have been a possibility, it was something that was politically unfavorable for the continued strife and Mexican Nationalism that would result from it, requiring the presence of a large occupation force from years to come. However this did not mean that Texas was willing to let Mexico have its way with Rio Grande. Over 20,000 Texans lost their lives in the Mexican War and Juan Seguin wanted something to reward the people of Texas for their struggles beyond just the recognition of independence and a status quo antebellum. Luckily for the Republic, Texan negotiators under Secretary of State Carl of New Braunfels, found an historical loophole that would allow the Texans to keep land outside of the Mexican hands, Texas' former ties to Coahuila. Prior to independence in 1836, Texas itself was bound to the state of Coahuila as part of "Coahuila y Tejas", Texas itself being subservient to Satillo which was one of the main causes of Revolution. During the Revolution there were some discussions and wishful thinking of annexing Coahuila to Texas similar to the wishes of American patriots to include Canada in the United States. This was not pursued at Guadelupe-Hidalgo since Coahuila outnumbered Texas immensely in Tejanos and California was more prized for its access to the Pacific. Here the situation was quite manageable since the Texan population outnumbered Coahuila 50 to 1, allowing for better administration. The Mexican delegation rebuked these claims initially and called it extortion against them and going against the will of the people. Prince Carl was unrelenting in this goal and pointed out repeatedly that Texas had Coahuila under military occupation for nearly a year and that if they did not accept its annexation, then Texas would keep Coahuila and ressurect the Rio Grande Republic. With news coming from the front that Coahuila was a stalemate and that the possibility for retaking it back soon was nigh, the Mexican delegation would come to accept it in return for the annexation of the other four states. The issue of the Rio Grande however would pale in comparison to the settling of the Southern front.
Texan Secretary State Carl of New Braunfels
Negotiations for the Southern front which would consist of most of may were frustrating to say the least. Unlike the situation of the Rio Grande which was for the most part clear, the Southern Front was a mess with heavy gains and losses for both sides. The Mexican delegation entered figuring that they would settle for taking Chiapas and leaving Tobasco. The situation would change drastically with the fall of Veracruz which would put Mexico into a terrible position. The Yucatan delegates were out for blood with Secretary of State Diego Alonzo demanding that the Yucatan's territorial integrity be fulfilled. The Mexicans under Secretary of State Sebatian Lerdo de Tejada, refused to even concede Chiapas as they felt that some gains were needed on the southern front to prevent it from being pointless. Tejada claimed that Yucatan had no right to the state as they had stolen it under Guadelupe-Hidalgo by blackmailing the Liberals to put them in charge. The Yucatan fought back with threats that they would take Veracruz for themselves and demanded reparations for the attacks against the Indian population, something Tejada shot back in demanding reparations for the death of Mexican citizens. The situation was made worse by the actions of the French under Edouard Drouyn de Lhuys. Lhuys was under explicit orders from Napoleon to extract a French victory in territory in any way possible to make the French intervention worthwhile. Lhuys settled for the city of Veracruz which would kill Mexico economically by denying the country its best port and shifting Gulf commerce towards Texas and the Yucatan. Tejada of course refused this and called it a blatant example of French Imperialism, calling Napoleon to be no worse than the King Ferdinand who they fought independence from. Tensions were high and it seemed that the conference would be called off. It was only thanks to the mediation by Prince Carl at the last minute that the negotiations would proceed. In exchange for Mexico keeping most of Chiapas, the Yucatan would annex Southern Veracruz and the city itself becoming a French port. Few were happy at the deal, but no viable alternatives could be found without a continuation of the war. With both Mexico and Yucatan coming under heavy debt, Alonzo and Tejada would reluctantly sign the treaty.
The terms of the Treaty of Havana are as follows:
The aftermath of the Treaty of Havana. The Republic of Texas (Blue). The Republic of the Yucatan (Green). Mexico (Red)
In the former Republic of the Rio Grande, news of the treaty was received well by all sans Coahuila. After two decades of living under an anarchic government with little sense of stability in the northern frontier, the Filibusters were kicked out of power and the people restored to the lands of their forefathers. Whatever minuscule patriotism for the Republic died with Havana as those few nationalists escaped to Texas or decided to lay low and accept Mexican occupation. Today the era of independence is not looked on fondly in the former Republic as history education looks back on the post Civil War and pre-Mexican war period as one of chaos and opportunism, a mistake which should've never happened in politics. Members of the Order of Mexican Patriots were celebrated as heroes in the new states and most arrived into new positions of powers as the head politicians of the region. The National Populist party would win a near unanimous showing in the Rio Grande in the Mexican general elections of 1867, securing Juarez a new powerbase and strengthening his hold on the country. Psychologically a new hatred developed towards the Texans of the north from the former people of the Rio Grande as they blamed all their problems and the death and destruction of the Mexican War on the supposed "Imperialists" in Austin. Trade alongside the Rio Grande dropped intensely and wouldn't see a surge until the 1890's. Much of the river border was militarized on both sides as one would have to pass through checkpoints over heavily defended bridges in cities such as Brownsville and El Paso. While the quality of life in the Rio Grande developed immensely under Mexican rule, all would not be well in the years to come. Apache raiders were frequent in the borderlands and many outlaws from the days of the Republic would remain at large for years to come. With Mexico being severely economically depressed, few funding could come into the Rio Grande and it would remain a backwater region for decades, a stark contrast to their Texan counterparts across the border. An uneasy peace reigned, one that would be broken in the late days of the Diaz regime.
Within Mexico reactions to the Treaty of Havana were highly favorable (outside of the state of Veracruz). While many in the Mexican congress protested the keeping of Coahuila and Tabasco, along with the blatant annexation of Southern Veracruz, Juarez's will was able to win at the end of the day due to the hard reality of Mexico's dire economic status along with the need to keep as high of a victory as possible. Celebrations sprang out across the nation for Mexico's first victory since Independence. Benito Juarez was hailed widely as the savior of Mexico and many within the newly reunified territories rejoiced at joining Mexico once more. Despite the many victories accomplished in the Treaty of Havana, Venganism would still remain for years to come. Most Mexicans were not satisfied with the exclusion of the rest of the Yucatan, many were also enraged that Texas not only lost no territory, but had managed to score a victory with the annexation of Coahuila. Going upon the fears and frustrations of the Mexican people, Juarez used the political climate to call for increased executive powers and the continuation of a socialistic approach in order to rapidly industrialize the economy as well as keep a well-armed military to ward off any future invasions. Plans were drawn up for a potential future war with Texas and the Yucatan, and thousands of troops were deployed towards the border with the hopes of reclaiming the lands for Mexico City. While this tense period of Nationalism may seem like a dark time in Mexico's history, the opposite was quite true. For the rest of Juarez's reign until his untimely death in 1873, Mexico's economy would continue to grow at rates of 5%-6%. The newly reunified states would continue to see minor development (not much in comparison to Central Mexico but far better than the decades past) and Mexico would enter the industrial age for the first time. Despite detente and the formation of cordial relations between Mexico and its neighbors in recent times, the Mexican War is remembered fondly in Mexico for being the war that would restore honor and prestige to Mexico, ensuring the dream that began with Father Hidalgo would live on.
Inside the Republic of Texas reactions to the war were generally positive. For the third time in its history Texas had won a war against Mexico, holding up its sovereignty and managing to grab some extra land to boot. Seguin's popularity rose to new heights in the aftermath and whatever claims of loyalty that he may have had to Mexico virtually died with his leadership of Texas to victory. While the Western Union was still able to hold onto its power within both houses of Congress, the Republicans were able to make a comeback in the congressional elections of 1863 which kept the Union's hold on congress tense at best. In international affairs Texas would emerge as a well respected middle power for its ability to defend its borders well and its many military victories against Mexico. Perhaps the best consenquence of the Mexican War is how the conflict managed to unite Texans together and establish the Texan identity. Before the Republic of Texas could claim to be a mishmash of dozens of nationalities that were solely united by living within the same country. The fighting of the war would change all of that as whites would fight alongside Tejanos, Chinese, Indians, Slavs, Germans, French, and more. Alongside the recent cultural developments and fusion of customs across the Republic, the coexistence and camaraderie of the Texan soldiers helped to eliminate many old prejudices and help Texans respect one another as Texans first before their respective nationalities. The victory of the Mexican War would propel Texas into a new age of Nationalism and the dawn of the Wild West era which would continue until the 20th century. Yet along with the end of the war came new problems entirely. The most pressing issue was the occupation of Coahuila and its new status as a territory. Many within the Tejano community were pushing for its induction as a Commonwealth, however tensions existed over the high amount of resistance during the war from the Coahuilans and the continuation of anarchy in areas absent of troops. Much of the civilian populace was still fervent for Juarez and did not trust Austin to uphold their promises as they had failed to do so in the past. In order to keep the peace and integrate Coahuila as a Commonwealth, Major General Albert Sidney Johnston was deployed with 10,000 men to the territory. There Johnston would lead Coahuila as its military governor for the next decade and oversee its transition into the Republic. This would only be the start of other domestic issues. This situations would include the rise of Outlaws, the Indian Wars, the Southern Exodus, and the end of slavery.
Texan soldiers occupy Satillo
The ratification of the Treaty of Havana in Merida was one that saw a heavy gridlock and opposition within the Yucatan legislation. Nearly half of the congressmen (mostly all from the Conservative Party) were enraged at the loss of Chiapas to Mexico. While Yucatan would receive Southern Veracruz in return, to many it was not enough for the crimes of Mexican troops and the ethnic genocide attributed towards the Mayans. Protests were held throughout the country for weeks with word spreading of the treaties contents, veterans enraged that they would lose parts of their country to the Mexican fiend. It was only with the ratification of the treaty in Austin and Paris that it was accepted in the Senate as the Yucatani politicians knew they could not face Mexico alone. Manuel Peraza's popularity within the Yucatan became sharply divided as half praised his leadership during the war, while the other half considered him a traitor to the Republic. The political situation would become tense in the rest of 1863 as the Mayans would demand new measures of autonomy in fear of the attacks during the war, while the Conservatives demanded that justice be done for Mexico's crimes. In the 1865 elections the Conservative Party would win the presidency for the first time in Yucatani history while Conservative politicians managed to gain a majority in both the House and the Senate. Peraza's successor, Tabascan politician Hernan Ortega, would place greater amounts of power and liberties to the military in order to strengthen their numbers and prepare the nation for another war against Mexico. The Mexican border would become highly militarized with thousands of troops at multiple checkpoints for hundreds of miles, while the Yucatan army bought stockpiles of weapons and gear from the United States. South Veracruz would enter under a harsh period of marital law for the next two decades as Mexican nationalists would be snuffed out and Yucatan Creoles and Mayans brought into to bring the population in loyalty to Merida. The state would also have a greater involvement in the overall economy in order to industrialize Yucatan and modernize its infrastructure, increasing tariffs while maintaining strong ties to Texas to project an economic power over the Gulf. Much like Texas, the Yucatan would enter into a period of Nationalism. Unlike the Lone Star Republic, this one would be based more off of Venganism and the need for self-preservation in the intense geopolitical climate of Latin America.
Finally came the reactions of those within the French Empire over their involvement in the war and its outcome. At the start of the war Emperor Napoleon had almost no intentions of getting involved until the Battle of Tampico which forced him to send the Foreign Legion to make Mexico pay for the death of French troops. While the French forces had performed admirably in the conflict and France was able to expand its empire with the valuable city of Veracruz, many within Paris began to question the purpose of the war. French Liberals within the Imperial Parliament were very critical of France's tying of resources in the region as they cited that the agreements with the Southwestern Republics were done by Louis Phillipe and as such the Bonaparte dynasty had no rightful obligation to them. Questions were raised over the loss of thousands of French lives over the course of the conflict and the tying of resources over protecting Texas and the Yucatan when they were self-sustaining nations and far from critical trade partners. Relations with America were also strained by Havana as Abraham Lincoln saw the taking of Veracruz as a blatant sign of Imperialism within the Western Hemisphere that could lead to future interventions and taking of territory in the Americas. The only real reason that the Lincoln administration chose not to take any drastic actions being due to the distance of Mexico from the United States, the support of Texas over the actions, and the need for the United States to focus on reconstruction. Seeing no more major value in the Americas, Napoleon would begin a distancing of ties from Texas and the Yucatan and instead focus on colonization of Africa and Asia in the coming future. With the rise of German power and the always relentless threat of Britain on the high seas, the fate of North America was far from French priorities. This would lead to a loosening of ties between France and Texas until the 1890's with the formation of the Quadruple Entente.
Mexican refugees flee Veracruz
The treaty of Rio Grande while managing to bring about a peace that ensured that nearly all parties in the war would gain something, was not satisfying in its totality to any one nation involved. Mexico went in seeking total reunification while the Southwestern Alliance wanted the end to Mexico once and for all. While Texas and the Yucatan would be able to limit Mexican expansion, hundreds of miles of territory were annexed by Juarez into the resurgent Mexico. Likewise Juarez had to deal with only securing five states into his country, at the cost of losing half of Veracruz and losing Coahuila outside of its grasp. With an unequal treaty that left no one happy, hostilities would remain for several decades as both Texas and the Yucatan looked to their borders, weary of the Mexican menace; while Mexico would slide into a period of authoritarianism, dreaming of completing reunification and propelling Mexico onto the world stage as a Great Power.
"This peace of paper is not a peace treaty, it's a damned armistice!"- Major General Albert Sidney Johnston 1863
"Now I understand why the Americanos hate the Ingles so much. You can never trust an imperialist power once you gain your freedom. Let down your guard one second and they shall strike like the snakes that they are."- Major General Ignacio Rojas 1863
"We may not have completed unification but we have won the war, something Mexico has not done in decades."- President Benito Juaerz 1863
In many respects it is quite ironic that the fate of the breakaway nations of New Spain would be decided in the Spanish colony of Cuba. Cuba was chosen as a primary site for the negotiations in 1863 due to its relative close proximity in the Gulf of Mexico and Spain being the only great power in the region that had a neutral stance on the conflict and a say in regional affairs. Both Britain and France were involved through Britain's indirect support of Mexico and France's sending of the Foreign Legion. The United States would not be able to do so at the time for the need to focus on Reconstruction and eliminating the last pockets of Confederate resistance. Brazil could make for an arguable candidate, but its location was too far off and Brazil did not have much close relations with North America beyond the slave trade with Texas. Correspondence between Paris and Madrid had been ongoing since the fall of 1862 and since Spain was falling in prestige with each passing year, Queen Isabella wanted to use Havana as a show of power in the Caribbean and to prove that Spain was still relevant in world affairs. With tens of thousands dead and the war looking to become an increasing stalemate, an agreement for talks was reached and delegates were sent to Cuba in April of 1863.
Negotiations would go on for two months and according to many eyewitness accounts, would become a long and rather heated affair over the simplest of matters. Virtually little love was lost between Mexico and its separatist republics from the 25 years prior, the atrocities that nearly all sides on the war conducted having done little to help. The first day of the Conference nearly saw Mexico walk out as Texas brought in a delegation representing the Rio Grande, which Mexico claimed no longer existed and had no rights to the table. Spanish Foreign Minister Saturnino Calderon de Barca y Collantes is credited by historians for managing to convince both sides to keep talks relatively stable and the talks from going to an abrupt end. The fact that the Treaty of Havana was signed is a miracle of itself in many ways with the bad blood between Mexico and the Republics in hindsight. The peace negotiations would mainly consist of talks over the shifting of territorial boundaries from the war, the first of which being the partition of the Rio Grande. Personal experience of the Texan Army in the Rio Grande proved that the region was highly hostile to the Texans for the creation of the Republic itself and its neglect from their allies in their increased instability. While the resurrection and continuation of the Rio Grande may have been a possibility, it was something that was politically unfavorable for the continued strife and Mexican Nationalism that would result from it, requiring the presence of a large occupation force from years to come. However this did not mean that Texas was willing to let Mexico have its way with Rio Grande. Over 20,000 Texans lost their lives in the Mexican War and Juan Seguin wanted something to reward the people of Texas for their struggles beyond just the recognition of independence and a status quo antebellum. Luckily for the Republic, Texan negotiators under Secretary of State Carl of New Braunfels, found an historical loophole that would allow the Texans to keep land outside of the Mexican hands, Texas' former ties to Coahuila. Prior to independence in 1836, Texas itself was bound to the state of Coahuila as part of "Coahuila y Tejas", Texas itself being subservient to Satillo which was one of the main causes of Revolution. During the Revolution there were some discussions and wishful thinking of annexing Coahuila to Texas similar to the wishes of American patriots to include Canada in the United States. This was not pursued at Guadelupe-Hidalgo since Coahuila outnumbered Texas immensely in Tejanos and California was more prized for its access to the Pacific. Here the situation was quite manageable since the Texan population outnumbered Coahuila 50 to 1, allowing for better administration. The Mexican delegation rebuked these claims initially and called it extortion against them and going against the will of the people. Prince Carl was unrelenting in this goal and pointed out repeatedly that Texas had Coahuila under military occupation for nearly a year and that if they did not accept its annexation, then Texas would keep Coahuila and ressurect the Rio Grande Republic. With news coming from the front that Coahuila was a stalemate and that the possibility for retaking it back soon was nigh, the Mexican delegation would come to accept it in return for the annexation of the other four states. The issue of the Rio Grande however would pale in comparison to the settling of the Southern front.
Texan Secretary State Carl of New Braunfels
Negotiations for the Southern front which would consist of most of may were frustrating to say the least. Unlike the situation of the Rio Grande which was for the most part clear, the Southern Front was a mess with heavy gains and losses for both sides. The Mexican delegation entered figuring that they would settle for taking Chiapas and leaving Tobasco. The situation would change drastically with the fall of Veracruz which would put Mexico into a terrible position. The Yucatan delegates were out for blood with Secretary of State Diego Alonzo demanding that the Yucatan's territorial integrity be fulfilled. The Mexicans under Secretary of State Sebatian Lerdo de Tejada, refused to even concede Chiapas as they felt that some gains were needed on the southern front to prevent it from being pointless. Tejada claimed that Yucatan had no right to the state as they had stolen it under Guadelupe-Hidalgo by blackmailing the Liberals to put them in charge. The Yucatan fought back with threats that they would take Veracruz for themselves and demanded reparations for the attacks against the Indian population, something Tejada shot back in demanding reparations for the death of Mexican citizens. The situation was made worse by the actions of the French under Edouard Drouyn de Lhuys. Lhuys was under explicit orders from Napoleon to extract a French victory in territory in any way possible to make the French intervention worthwhile. Lhuys settled for the city of Veracruz which would kill Mexico economically by denying the country its best port and shifting Gulf commerce towards Texas and the Yucatan. Tejada of course refused this and called it a blatant example of French Imperialism, calling Napoleon to be no worse than the King Ferdinand who they fought independence from. Tensions were high and it seemed that the conference would be called off. It was only thanks to the mediation by Prince Carl at the last minute that the negotiations would proceed. In exchange for Mexico keeping most of Chiapas, the Yucatan would annex Southern Veracruz and the city itself becoming a French port. Few were happy at the deal, but no viable alternatives could be found without a continuation of the war. With both Mexico and Yucatan coming under heavy debt, Alonzo and Tejada would reluctantly sign the treaty.
The terms of the Treaty of Havana are as follows:
- The Rio Grande Republic shall cease to exist as of June 4th, 1863. The Rio Grande shall be recognized as an illegitimate nation that was created solely for the purpose of Imperialism
- The former Rio Grande states of Chihuahua, Durango, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas shall return to the United Mexican states.
- The state of Coahuila shall be annexed by the Republic of Texas. Texas' claim rightfully comes from its former territorial integrity as the state of Coahuila y Tejas at the time of the Revolution.
- The state of Veracruz is to be divided into two. The Northern half above the city of Veracruz shall be retained in Mexico as the state of North Veracruz. The Southern half shall be annexed by the Republic of Yucatan as the new state of South Veracruz. The city of Veracruz itself shall be leased to the French Empire for a period of 60 years.
- Chiapas is to be partitioned between Mexico and the Yucatan. The Mexican occupied territories shall return as the state of Chiapas while the Yucatan occupied territory shall be annexed to the state of Guatemala.
- All citizens of the annexed and ceded territories listed above shall be allowed to pursue citizenship to their new nation or former one within a period of 5 years.
- All prisoners of war shall return to their respective nations of origin within one year. Prisoners of the Rio Grande shall be kept as Mexican citizens unless they claim origin of Coahuila.
The aftermath of the Treaty of Havana. The Republic of Texas (Blue). The Republic of the Yucatan (Green). Mexico (Red)
In the former Republic of the Rio Grande, news of the treaty was received well by all sans Coahuila. After two decades of living under an anarchic government with little sense of stability in the northern frontier, the Filibusters were kicked out of power and the people restored to the lands of their forefathers. Whatever minuscule patriotism for the Republic died with Havana as those few nationalists escaped to Texas or decided to lay low and accept Mexican occupation. Today the era of independence is not looked on fondly in the former Republic as history education looks back on the post Civil War and pre-Mexican war period as one of chaos and opportunism, a mistake which should've never happened in politics. Members of the Order of Mexican Patriots were celebrated as heroes in the new states and most arrived into new positions of powers as the head politicians of the region. The National Populist party would win a near unanimous showing in the Rio Grande in the Mexican general elections of 1867, securing Juarez a new powerbase and strengthening his hold on the country. Psychologically a new hatred developed towards the Texans of the north from the former people of the Rio Grande as they blamed all their problems and the death and destruction of the Mexican War on the supposed "Imperialists" in Austin. Trade alongside the Rio Grande dropped intensely and wouldn't see a surge until the 1890's. Much of the river border was militarized on both sides as one would have to pass through checkpoints over heavily defended bridges in cities such as Brownsville and El Paso. While the quality of life in the Rio Grande developed immensely under Mexican rule, all would not be well in the years to come. Apache raiders were frequent in the borderlands and many outlaws from the days of the Republic would remain at large for years to come. With Mexico being severely economically depressed, few funding could come into the Rio Grande and it would remain a backwater region for decades, a stark contrast to their Texan counterparts across the border. An uneasy peace reigned, one that would be broken in the late days of the Diaz regime.
Within Mexico reactions to the Treaty of Havana were highly favorable (outside of the state of Veracruz). While many in the Mexican congress protested the keeping of Coahuila and Tabasco, along with the blatant annexation of Southern Veracruz, Juarez's will was able to win at the end of the day due to the hard reality of Mexico's dire economic status along with the need to keep as high of a victory as possible. Celebrations sprang out across the nation for Mexico's first victory since Independence. Benito Juarez was hailed widely as the savior of Mexico and many within the newly reunified territories rejoiced at joining Mexico once more. Despite the many victories accomplished in the Treaty of Havana, Venganism would still remain for years to come. Most Mexicans were not satisfied with the exclusion of the rest of the Yucatan, many were also enraged that Texas not only lost no territory, but had managed to score a victory with the annexation of Coahuila. Going upon the fears and frustrations of the Mexican people, Juarez used the political climate to call for increased executive powers and the continuation of a socialistic approach in order to rapidly industrialize the economy as well as keep a well-armed military to ward off any future invasions. Plans were drawn up for a potential future war with Texas and the Yucatan, and thousands of troops were deployed towards the border with the hopes of reclaiming the lands for Mexico City. While this tense period of Nationalism may seem like a dark time in Mexico's history, the opposite was quite true. For the rest of Juarez's reign until his untimely death in 1873, Mexico's economy would continue to grow at rates of 5%-6%. The newly reunified states would continue to see minor development (not much in comparison to Central Mexico but far better than the decades past) and Mexico would enter the industrial age for the first time. Despite detente and the formation of cordial relations between Mexico and its neighbors in recent times, the Mexican War is remembered fondly in Mexico for being the war that would restore honor and prestige to Mexico, ensuring the dream that began with Father Hidalgo would live on.
Inside the Republic of Texas reactions to the war were generally positive. For the third time in its history Texas had won a war against Mexico, holding up its sovereignty and managing to grab some extra land to boot. Seguin's popularity rose to new heights in the aftermath and whatever claims of loyalty that he may have had to Mexico virtually died with his leadership of Texas to victory. While the Western Union was still able to hold onto its power within both houses of Congress, the Republicans were able to make a comeback in the congressional elections of 1863 which kept the Union's hold on congress tense at best. In international affairs Texas would emerge as a well respected middle power for its ability to defend its borders well and its many military victories against Mexico. Perhaps the best consenquence of the Mexican War is how the conflict managed to unite Texans together and establish the Texan identity. Before the Republic of Texas could claim to be a mishmash of dozens of nationalities that were solely united by living within the same country. The fighting of the war would change all of that as whites would fight alongside Tejanos, Chinese, Indians, Slavs, Germans, French, and more. Alongside the recent cultural developments and fusion of customs across the Republic, the coexistence and camaraderie of the Texan soldiers helped to eliminate many old prejudices and help Texans respect one another as Texans first before their respective nationalities. The victory of the Mexican War would propel Texas into a new age of Nationalism and the dawn of the Wild West era which would continue until the 20th century. Yet along with the end of the war came new problems entirely. The most pressing issue was the occupation of Coahuila and its new status as a territory. Many within the Tejano community were pushing for its induction as a Commonwealth, however tensions existed over the high amount of resistance during the war from the Coahuilans and the continuation of anarchy in areas absent of troops. Much of the civilian populace was still fervent for Juarez and did not trust Austin to uphold their promises as they had failed to do so in the past. In order to keep the peace and integrate Coahuila as a Commonwealth, Major General Albert Sidney Johnston was deployed with 10,000 men to the territory. There Johnston would lead Coahuila as its military governor for the next decade and oversee its transition into the Republic. This would only be the start of other domestic issues. This situations would include the rise of Outlaws, the Indian Wars, the Southern Exodus, and the end of slavery.
Texan soldiers occupy Satillo
The ratification of the Treaty of Havana in Merida was one that saw a heavy gridlock and opposition within the Yucatan legislation. Nearly half of the congressmen (mostly all from the Conservative Party) were enraged at the loss of Chiapas to Mexico. While Yucatan would receive Southern Veracruz in return, to many it was not enough for the crimes of Mexican troops and the ethnic genocide attributed towards the Mayans. Protests were held throughout the country for weeks with word spreading of the treaties contents, veterans enraged that they would lose parts of their country to the Mexican fiend. It was only with the ratification of the treaty in Austin and Paris that it was accepted in the Senate as the Yucatani politicians knew they could not face Mexico alone. Manuel Peraza's popularity within the Yucatan became sharply divided as half praised his leadership during the war, while the other half considered him a traitor to the Republic. The political situation would become tense in the rest of 1863 as the Mayans would demand new measures of autonomy in fear of the attacks during the war, while the Conservatives demanded that justice be done for Mexico's crimes. In the 1865 elections the Conservative Party would win the presidency for the first time in Yucatani history while Conservative politicians managed to gain a majority in both the House and the Senate. Peraza's successor, Tabascan politician Hernan Ortega, would place greater amounts of power and liberties to the military in order to strengthen their numbers and prepare the nation for another war against Mexico. The Mexican border would become highly militarized with thousands of troops at multiple checkpoints for hundreds of miles, while the Yucatan army bought stockpiles of weapons and gear from the United States. South Veracruz would enter under a harsh period of marital law for the next two decades as Mexican nationalists would be snuffed out and Yucatan Creoles and Mayans brought into to bring the population in loyalty to Merida. The state would also have a greater involvement in the overall economy in order to industrialize Yucatan and modernize its infrastructure, increasing tariffs while maintaining strong ties to Texas to project an economic power over the Gulf. Much like Texas, the Yucatan would enter into a period of Nationalism. Unlike the Lone Star Republic, this one would be based more off of Venganism and the need for self-preservation in the intense geopolitical climate of Latin America.
Finally came the reactions of those within the French Empire over their involvement in the war and its outcome. At the start of the war Emperor Napoleon had almost no intentions of getting involved until the Battle of Tampico which forced him to send the Foreign Legion to make Mexico pay for the death of French troops. While the French forces had performed admirably in the conflict and France was able to expand its empire with the valuable city of Veracruz, many within Paris began to question the purpose of the war. French Liberals within the Imperial Parliament were very critical of France's tying of resources in the region as they cited that the agreements with the Southwestern Republics were done by Louis Phillipe and as such the Bonaparte dynasty had no rightful obligation to them. Questions were raised over the loss of thousands of French lives over the course of the conflict and the tying of resources over protecting Texas and the Yucatan when they were self-sustaining nations and far from critical trade partners. Relations with America were also strained by Havana as Abraham Lincoln saw the taking of Veracruz as a blatant sign of Imperialism within the Western Hemisphere that could lead to future interventions and taking of territory in the Americas. The only real reason that the Lincoln administration chose not to take any drastic actions being due to the distance of Mexico from the United States, the support of Texas over the actions, and the need for the United States to focus on reconstruction. Seeing no more major value in the Americas, Napoleon would begin a distancing of ties from Texas and the Yucatan and instead focus on colonization of Africa and Asia in the coming future. With the rise of German power and the always relentless threat of Britain on the high seas, the fate of North America was far from French priorities. This would lead to a loosening of ties between France and Texas until the 1890's with the formation of the Quadruple Entente.
Mexican refugees flee Veracruz
The treaty of Rio Grande while managing to bring about a peace that ensured that nearly all parties in the war would gain something, was not satisfying in its totality to any one nation involved. Mexico went in seeking total reunification while the Southwestern Alliance wanted the end to Mexico once and for all. While Texas and the Yucatan would be able to limit Mexican expansion, hundreds of miles of territory were annexed by Juarez into the resurgent Mexico. Likewise Juarez had to deal with only securing five states into his country, at the cost of losing half of Veracruz and losing Coahuila outside of its grasp. With an unequal treaty that left no one happy, hostilities would remain for several decades as both Texas and the Yucatan looked to their borders, weary of the Mexican menace; while Mexico would slide into a period of authoritarianism, dreaming of completing reunification and propelling Mexico onto the world stage as a Great Power.
- Kaiser Chris
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