Page:Vol 5 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/42

22 made territories of the federation, to be under the direct control of the general government.

A law of May 7th made Nuevo Leon a state, and Coahuila and Texas another. Decrees of May 22d and July 6th raised Durango and Chihuahua respectively to the same rank, New Mexico being made a territory.

Under the acta constitutiva the congress of the state of Mexico was installed on the 2d of March, 1824, and the next day the election of governor took place, General Manuel Gomez Pedraza being chosen for the position. On the 9th of August the state congress adopted a provisional organic law, which bears the signatures of José Figueroa, president, and Manuel de Cortazar and Joaquin Villa, deputies, acting as secretaries. The other states pursued the same course, organizing their respective congresses, and choosing their governors. All in due time were acting in their capacity as sovereign states of the federation.

Chiapas, during the confusion prevailing after Iturbide's fall, kept aloof from all participation in Mexican events. The partisans of Mexico and Guatemala in that province endeavored to arrive at a conclusion that would favor their respective wishes. The governments of Mexico and Guatemala invited the province to