How did policies about the settlement of Texas change when region passed from Spanish to Mexican hands?

1. Open Settlement Policy Ended: Under Spanish rule, the "empresario system" facilitated the settlement of Texas by giving landholders, or "empresarios," large, tax-free grants of land in exchange for bringing in new settlers from Europe and North America. This practice largely ceased after Mexican independence.
2. Mexican Citizenship Requirement: New settlers seeking land in Texas during the Mexican era were required to convert to Catholicism, pledge loyalty to Mexico, and become Mexican citizens.
3. More Centralized Government: The Mexican government exercised tighter political and administrative control over Texas compared to the relative autonomy granted by the Spanish government.
4. Restrictions on African American Settlement: Unlike the Spanish, who allowed some free African Americans to settle in Texas, Mexican authorities prohibited African Americans from settling in Texas, considering them a potential security threat due to their association with slave rebellions in the United States.
5. Tensions with Empresarios: Some existing empresarios, who had been granted land under Spanish rule, found their privileges limited and challenged by the new Mexican government, which sought to assert control over land distribution and immigration.
6. Impact on American Immigration: The tightening of settlement policies, particularly the citizenship requirement, discouraged many potential American settlers, leading to a decline in the rate of immigration from the United States.
7. Increased Tensions and Friction: The combination of these policy changes and the general resistance to Mexican control among Anglo-American settlers in Texas contributed to growing tensions and friction that culminated in the Texas Revolution in 1835-1836.

These shifts in settlement policies under Mexican rule significantly reshaped the settlement patterns, demographics, and political landscape of Texas and contributed to the region's eventual break with Mexico.