Why Mexican Troops Were in Texas in 1835: Sovereignty, Smuggling, and Settler Tensions

Mexico's Military Presence on the Eve of Revolution

By 1835, Mexican troops in Texas were not an invasion force — they were a tenuous garrison trying to assert sovereignty over a region slipping from control.

1. Protect Mexican Citizens & Land Grants

Mexico encouraged settlement via empresario contracts (Austin, DeWitt, De León). Troops were to safeguard colonists from Comanche/Apache raids and ensure land titles were honored.

2. Customs Enforcement & Revenue

• Law of April 6, 1830 banned further U.S. immigration, imposed tariffs.
• Troops at Anahuac (Fort Anahuac) and Velasco collected duties, stopped smuggling (cotton, slaves).
• Commander Juan Davis Bradburn (Anahuac) jailed lawyers — sparked 1832 Anahuac Disturbances.

3. Contain Anglo-American Expansionism

• By 1835, Anglos outnumbered Tejanos 10:1 (~30,000 vs. ~3,000).
• Many ignored Mexican law (slavery banned 1829, Catholic requirement, centralized authority).
• Troops = deterrent against de facto secession.

4. Santa Anna's Centralist Turn

• 1834: Santa Anna dissolved Congress, scrapped 1824 Constitution.
• 1835: General Martín Perfecto de Cos landed at Copano with ~500 troops to disarm militias, arrest leaders.
• This provoked the Gonzales "Come and Take It" clash (Oct 1835) — war's first shots.

5. Geopolitical Buffer vs. USA

Mexico feared U.S. annexation (Jackson offered $5M for Texas, 1829). Troops signaled "This is Mexican territory."

Result

Undermanned, undersupplied, politically divided — Mexican forces could not control the territory. The Texian rebellion escalated into full revolution; by Dec 1835, Cos surrendered San Antonio. Santa Anna's 1836 campaign ended at San Jacinto.