# Travel >> Destinations >> Mexico

Texas in 1821: Mexican Independence's Impact on a Frontier Province

When Mexico won independence (1821), Texas was a sparsely populated district of Coahuila y Tejas, facing demographic, economic, and political flux.

Conditions at Independence

Population: ~3,500 (2,500 Tejanos, 1,000 Indigenous, few foreigners).
Settlements: San Antonio (Béxar), La Bahía (Goliad), Nacogdoches – isolated presidios/missions.
Economy: Subsistence ranching (cattle, horses), limited farming; trade via Natchitoches (LA) or Veracruz.
Governance: Appointed jefe político; ayuntamiento (council) in Béxar; minimal central presence.
Indigenous power: Comanche, Apache, Kiowa dominated plains; Spanish "peace by rations" policy ending.

Mexican Policy Shift: Colonization Laws

1823 Imperial Colonization Law (Iturbide) – offered land to settlers (Catholic, good character).
1824 National Colonization Law – states set terms; Coahuila y Tejas passed 1825 State Law.
Empresario system: Contractors (Austin, DeWitt, Edwards, etc.) brought families for land premiums.

Anglo Influx & Tensions (1821–1835)

1825: Stephen F. Austin's "Old Three Hundred" arrive.
1830: Anglos ~7,000; Tejanos ~4,000.
1835: Anglos ~30,000; Tejanos ~4,000; enslaved ~5,000.
Friction points: Slavery (Mexico abolished 1829, Texas exempted), language, religion, local autonomy, tariffs.

Path to Revolution

1830 Law of April 6: Banned US immigration, new forts, customs enforcement.
1832–33 Conventions: Petitions for statehood, repeal of 1830 law.
1835: Santa Anna centralizes; Gonzales "Come and Take It" (Oct) → Revolution.