Nuevo Santander facts for kids

Quick facts for kids New Santander Nuevo Santander  (Spanish)
1746–1821
Status	Spanish colony
Capital	Santander Jiménez
Common languages	Spanish
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Government	Monarchy
King of Spain
• July 9, 1746 – August 10, 1759	Ferdinand VI
• December 11, 1813 – September 29, 1833	Ferdinand VII
Royal Governor
• May 31, 1748 - April 8, 1767	José de Escandón
• July 7, 1821 - September 22, 1822	Felipe de la Garza Cisneros
Historical era	Colonial era
• Established	1746
• Disestablished	1821
Population
• 1790	43,739
Currency	Spanish colonial real
Succeeded by First Mexican Empire
Today part of	Mexico (Nuevo León & Tamaulipas) United States (Texas)

Map of New Spain along the Gulf of Mexico, showing Nuevo Santander.

Nuevo Santander (which means New Santander) was an important region in a big Spanish colony called the Viceroyalty of New Spain. This colony covered a lot of land in what is now Mexico and parts of the United States. Nuevo Santander included the area of the modern Mexican state of Tamaulipas. It also stretched north into what is now southern Texas in the United States.

A history book about Texas, written in 1934, explained that Nuevo Santander's borders went beyond the Rio Grande river. It said the region reached north to the Nueces River near Corpus Christi, Texas. Then it went west and north to the Medina River, before turning south along Laredo, Texas into the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains in Mexico.

Nuevo Santander got its name from a city in Spain called Santander, Cantabria. Spanish settlers moved there in a big effort between 1748 and 1750. The region was under the legal power of the Real Audiencia of Guadalajara, which was like a high court. Later, in 1776, Nuevo Santander became part of the Provincias Internas, a group of semi-independent areas within the Spanish colony.

Founding and Growth of Nuevo Santander

The colony of Nuevo Santander was officially started in 1747. This was a big step for Spain to control more land in the Americas.

Who Founded Nuevo Santander?

José de Escandón was the person who founded the colony in 1747. He was a Spanish military officer and colonizer. He played a key role in bringing settlers to this new region.

The Capital City

In 1755, a town called Jiménez was founded. This town quickly grew to become the main city and the capital of the Nuevo Santander colony. It was an important center for the region's government and trade.

The End of Nuevo Santander

Nuevo Santander existed as a Spanish colony until 1821. This was the year Mexico gained its independence from Spain.

From Colony to State

After Mexico became an independent country, the region of Nuevo Santander was renamed. It became known as Tamaulipas, which is still a state in Mexico today. This change marked the end of the Spanish colonial era in the region.

See also

• Governors of Nuevo Santander
• History of Mexico
• History of Texas
• Brownsville, Texas
• Laredo, Texas
• Blas María de la Garza Falcón
• New Kingdom of León
• Eastern Internal Provinces