PROVINCES INTENDENCIES STATES, DEPARTMENTS. 15 



cias Internets de la Commandancia de Chihuahua" which, in 1779, 

 were comprised in a General- Captaincy. The two intendancies 

 New Biscay and Sonora, then part of San Luis Potosi, belonged to 

 the provinces of Coahuila and Texas. The interior provinces of 

 the viceroy alty were the intendancy of San Luis Potosi, including 

 the provinces of New Leon and New Santander. The actual 

 kingdom of New Spain was composed of the intendancies of 

 Mexico, Puebla, Vera Cruz, Guadalajara, Valladolid, Zacatecas, 

 Guanajuato, Oajaca, Merida, and San Luis, proper, and the two 

 Californias. In the year 1807, the " Provincias Internas" were 

 divided into western and eastern, and two general commandancies 

 created. 



1st. The Provincias Internas Occidentales, or Western, were the 

 intendancies of Sonora, Durango, with Chihuahua (new Biscay) ; 

 the province of New Mexico, and the two Californias. 



2d. The Provincias Internas Orientates, or Eastern, were, Coa- 

 huila, Texas, New Santander and New Leon. 



Such were the main territorial divisions of New Spain during 

 the concluding years of the Spanish government, — whilst the 

 revolution was in progress, — and until the nineteen provinces of 

 the empire of Iturbide were erected by the federal constitution of 

 1824 into the nineteen States of Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila and 

 Texas, Durango, Guanajuato, Mexico, Michoacan (Valladolid), 

 New Leon, Oajaca, Puebla, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Sonora 

 and Sinaloa, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Vera Cruz, Jalisco ( Guadala- 

 jara,) Yucatan, and Zacatecas, — and the Territories of Old 

 and New California, Colima, New Mexico, and Tlascala. In 1830 

 the State of Sinaloa and Sonora, separated into its natural divi- 

 sions, since which each has been a distinct, independent State. In 

 1836, the revolution which destroyed this federal constitution, 

 changed these States into Departments ; by which name they 

 were recognized until the month of May, 1847, when the old 

 federal constitution of 1824, with some amendments, was re- 

 enacted, and the departments once more converted into states ; 

 whilst provision was made for the creation of the new state of 

 Guerrero, to be composed of the districts of Acapulco, Chilapa, 

 Tasco and Talpa, and the municipality of Coyucan — the three 

 first of which pertain to the state of Mexico, the fourth to Puebla, 

 and the fifth to Michoacan, — provided these three states gave 

 their consent within three months from the 21st of May, 1847, at 

 which period the act reforming the constitution of 1824 was passed. 



The war between Mexico and the United States was happily 



