History of Nuevo León facts for kids

The Free and Sovereign State of Nuevo León is a state in Mexico. It was first settled in the 1500s by people from the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal). Many of these early settlers were conversos, who were Jewish people who had converted to Roman Catholicism. Later, more people from other parts of Europe, some from Asia, and people from North America moved there in the 1800s.

Today, Nuevo León is one of the most developed industrial areas in Latin America. Its capital city, Monterrey, has a large metropolitan area with over 5 million people. Many people from Nuevo León also move to or from Texas in the U.S., which creates strong cultural connections between the two places.

Early Days

The very first people known to live in the area now called Nuevo León were a small number of Native American nomads. They didn't leave any written records. So, the recorded history of the region really starts when European colonists arrived in the late 1500s.

The first Europeans to explore this land were part of an expedition led by Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca. They traveled all the way from Spanish Florida to the Pacific Ocean. After a few tries, a group of settlers, including some families of converted Jewish people, arrived on the Mexican coast. These settlers were led by Portuguese explorer Luis Carvajal y de la Cueva. They settled in what is now the city of Monterrey. This was part of a promise made by King Philip II of Spain to create the New Kingdom of León (Nuevo Reino de León). Carvajal and his followers were known for making money by capturing and selling Native American slaves.

The first years of the colony were very hard. The settlers faced problems from the Spanish Inquisition, attacks from local tribes, and several floods. The first settlement founded by Carvajal didn't last and eventually became empty. The city of Monterrey was officially founded on September 20, 1596, by Spanish captain Diego de Montemayor. He named it "Our Lady of Monterrey," near a big mountain and the Santa Lucia water springs.

The New Kingdom of León

Most of the people in the New Kingdom of León lived in Monterrey from the beginning. However, more settlers from all over Spain arrived in the following years. For example, Bernabé de las Casas, an explorer from the Canary Islands, came to the region. He brought Spanish and Canarian families to start new towns and mining camps in the Valle de las Salinas (Salinas Valley). Many villages were later founded by his family members.

Spanish settlements in northern Nuevo León often grew slowly because of attacks from Native Americans. These included groups like the Coahuiltecan, Alazapas, Cuanales, and Gualeguas. The attacks often happened because the Spanish were raiding the Native Americans for slaves. Spanish Captain Alonso de León wrote about many attacks against the Spanish in the New Kingdom of León. He also said that the native people there were very different from those in other parts of New Spain.

Mixing of different races, which happened a lot in other parts of New Spain, was difficult in this province. The native people didn't want to accept Christianity from the Spanish. They also didn't want to join Spanish or Criollo society. This feeling of separation was also felt by many Spanish settlers towards the native people. The native groups were often at war with the Spanish and didn't have permanent homes.

Instead, several nomadic tribes focused on war and hunting. These fights were a big problem for the Spanish population. By the end of Spanish rule, about 80% of the people in the New Kingdom of León were white. As the colonial era ended, the "reineros" (as they were called) found more stability. They established the city of Linares, which became the second largest city, located southeast of Monterrey.

Fight for Independence

News about the Mexican War of Independence started by Miguel Hidalgo on September 16, 1810, took a long time to reach the people of the New Kingdom of León. This was because of the long distance and poor roads from the capital of New Spain to the northern provinces. The idea of fighting for independence from Spain was quickly stopped in the region at first.

The New Kingdom of León, along with other northern provinces, had less support for the independence movement in its early years. One reason for this was that it was one of the last areas colonized by the Spanish Empire in New Spain. Also, it had the highest percentage of people of Spanish and Criollo background, according to a census from 1790.

The ideas that Miguel Hidalgo fought for were not well received in the northern provinces at first. This was because of stronger ties to Spain and loyalty to King Fernando VI. There were even groups fighting against the independence movement. For example, a former rebel general named Ignacio Elizondo switched to the loyalist army. He helped capture major rebel leaders like Miguel Hidalgo, Ignacio Allende, and Mariano Abasolo in 1811 in Bajan, Coahuila. They were trying to escape north to the United States.

Captain Elizondo captures rebel leaders at Bajan, Coahuila on March 21, 1811.

In the later years of the war, there were fewer movements against independence, and the desire for freedom grew stronger. However, some people were unhappy when José María Morelos, another leader of the movement, called a meeting in Chilpancingo in southern Mexico. He named himself a representative of Nuevo Reino de León, even though he had no connection to the region. Just one year before, Juan José de la Garza had represented Nuevo Reino de León in the Spanish parliament in Cádiz. This parliament had created the liberal Spanish Constitution of 1812.

Portrait of Friar Servando Teresa de Mier in 1820.

After Mexico became independent, Fray Servando Teresa de Mier represented Nuevo Reino de León at the national meeting. In a special order, the meeting declared that "Nuevo León will be from this time forward a state of the Mexican Federation."

Father Mier helped set up a local government. This government approved the first constitution of the new state on March 5, 1825. However, this state government was later dissolved in 1835, and Nuevo León became a "Department." The national fight between conservatives and liberals caused problems for the region. In 1846, during the Mexican–American War, United States forces attacked Monterrey (see Battle of Monterrey). Also, native tribes from the U.S. made brutal attacks on the region, stealing women, children, cattle, and supplies. The situation was so chaotic that people often wrote their will before even a short trip.

Attempts to Break Away

The flag of the Republic of the Rio Grande. This movement lasted from January to November 1840.

By the mid-1800s, the people of Nuevo León started fighting back against the native tribes, the U.S., and the Mexican government. By 1850, towns across Nuevo León had armed groups ready for battle. They prepared "bastimento," which were combat supplies like corn biscuits, dried meat, and chocolate. These foods were, and still are, important parts of the rural diet in Nuevo León.

The response to the native invasions was very harsh. Influenced by methods used by Americans to their north, the people of Nuevo León even poisoned the water the native people drank. The fights with the Apaches, Comanches, runaway Kickapoos, and North American filibusterers were brutal. However, they gave a lot of experience to the Nuevo León militias. These militias even defeated the Mexican Army in several battles. Local heroes like Juan Zuazua, José Silvestre Aramberri, Mariano Escobedo, Lázaro Garza Ayala, and Jerónimo Treviño all became skilled fighters during these skirmishes.

The leader of this self-defense movement was Santiago Vidaurri. In 1855, he announced the Plan de Monterrey, which brought back the sovereignty (independence) of Nuevo León. Later, Vidaurri supported the Confederacy during the American Civil War. He also held a vote and peacefully added the Mexican state of Coahuila to Nuevo León. He then declared the República de la Sierra Madre, which was one of Nuevo León's two famous attempts to break away from Mexico. (The other was the Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840.) After his main military supporter, General Juan Zuazua, died, Vidaurri was easily captured by other people from Nuevo León who were loyal to Benito Juárez. Juárez then ordered Coahuila to separate from Nuevo León.

Recent History

Towards the end of the 1800s, many industries started growing in Nuevo León. Over time, these industries became very important to the Mexican economy. This was when the first banks, breweries, cement factories, and steel mills in Nuevo León were created. By the mid-1900s, Nuevo León had two famous universities: the Autonomous University of Nuevo León and the Technological Institute of Higher Studies in Monterrey. The state also welcomed many immigrants from Germany, Russia, and Italy. This enriched the local Mexican culture and strengthened ties with Texas in the United States.

In the 1970s, some terrorist groups who believed in communist ideas caused problems in Nuevo León. They were linked to social issues in southeastern Mexico and were responsible for the assassinations of important businessmen, including Eugenio Garza Sada. Like the rest of Mexico, Nuevo León faced economic problems. But in the 1990s, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) helped bring strong economic growth, which improved living conditions.

As of 2004, Nuevo León leads Mexico in most measures of health and quality of life. Some towns, like San Pedro Garza García, have the highest standard of living in Latin America. Overall, Nuevo León has a human development index that is better than some European countries. If it were a country, it would rank around 32nd in the world.

Important Dates in the History of Nuevo León

See also

• In Spanish: Historia de Nuevo León para niños
• Timeline of Monterrey, Nuevo León