New Spain Provinces

Administrative Divisions of New Spain and Mexico to 1848

Before 1821 the Spanish colony of New Spain (Nueva Espania) consisted of three divisions. The core territory was comprised of the Kingdoms of Mexico (administered by the Viceroy of New Spain) and New Galicia. The internal provinces – also called the Kingdoms of New Biscay and New Leon that are now mostly part of the U.S states of Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas. The Yucatan and Kingdom of Guatemala were captaincies-general.


After independence in 1821 and the fall of the short lived First Mexican Empire in 1823 the colonial administrative provinces became states. The former Kingdom of Guatemala seceded as the Federation of Central America with Chiapas remaining under Mexican sovereignty. The United States of Mexico that succeeded the empire consisted of 19 states and 5 territories. In 1835 this was replaced by the Centralist Republic which was disrupted by secessionist movements and ended in the Mexican-American War 1846-48 in which Mexico ceded Texas and the Northern Territories to the United States. In 1846 Mexico restored the constitution of 1824 and the United States of Mexico was restored with half the territory of 1824.

Alta California (Californias)

04 Nov 1595 Claimed for Spain

03 Jun 1770 Province of Las Californias

26 Mat 1804 Separate administrations for Alta California (Nueva California [New                     California]) and Baja Calfornia (Vieja California [Old California])

28 Sep 1821 Part of independent Mexico

17 Nov 1821 Province of California Alta

31 Jan 1824 Territory of Las California

04 Oct 1824 Territory of Alta California 

30 Dec 1836 California Department

07 Jun 1846 U.S occupation

22 Aug 1846 California declared a state of Mexico

02 Feb 1848 Ceded to the United States by treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo


Commandents

06 Jul 1768 - 09 Jul 1770 Gaspar de Portolá

09 Jul 1770 - 1774        Pedro Fages Beleta

Governors

12 Jun 1769 - 09 Nov 1770 Matías Francesco Armona y Murga

09 Nov 1770 - 1774        Felipe de Barri

23 Mar 1774 - 03 Feb 1777 Fernando José Rivera y Mondada

03 Feb 1777 - 07 Sep 1782 Felipe de Neve

07 Sep 1782 - 17 Apr 1791 Pedro Fages Beleta

17 Apr 1791 - 09 Apr 1792 José Antonio de Romeu,

                           conde de Riverra Gigado

09 Apr 1792 -    Oct 1794 José Joaquín de Arillaga (1st Time)

                          (acting)

   Oct 1794 - 16 Jan 1800 Diego de Borica

16 Jan 1800 - 11 Mar 1802 Pedro de Alberni

11 Mar 1802 - 25 Jul 1814 José Joaquín de Arillaga (2nd Time)

25 Jul 1814 - 15 Aug 1815 José Darío Argüello

15 Aug 1815 - 22 Nov 1822 Pablo Vincente de Solá

22 Nov 1822 - 25 Jun 1825 Luis Antonio Argüello

25 Jun 1825 - 31 Jan 1831 José María de Echeandía (1st Time)

31 Jan      - 06 Dec 1831 Manuel Victoria

06 Dec 1831 - 31 Jan 1832 José María de Echeandía (2nd Time)

                          (in opposition in Los Angeles from 11 Jan)

11 Jan      - 31 Jan 1831 Pío de Jesús Pico (1st Time)

31 Jan 1832 - 15 Jan 1833 Augustín Vincente Zamorano

15 Jan 1833 - 29 Sep 1835 José Figueroa

29 Aug 1835 - 02 Jan 1836 José Castro 

02 Jan      - 01 May 1836 Nicolás Gutiérrez (1st Time)

                          (interim)

01 May      - 30 Jul 1836 Mariano Chico

30 Jul      -    Nov 1836 Nicolas Gutiérrez (2nd Time)

                          (interim)

   Nov 1836 - 30 Dec 1842 Juan Bautista Valentín Alvarado y Vallejo

06 Dec 1837 -    Aug 1838 Carlos Antonio Carrillo

                          (in opposition)

30 Dec 1842 - 22 Feb 1845 José Manuel Micheltorena

22 Feb 1845 - 07 Jul 1846 Pío de Jesús Pico (2nd Time)

31 Oct 1846 - 11 Jan 1847 José María Flores

                          (in opposition to the U.S)

11 Jan 1847 - 30 May 1848 Andrés Pico

                          (in opposition to the U.S)