Page:Vol 5 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/44

24 172,953 inhabitants, 96,829 of whom favored aggregation to Mexico, and 60,400 annexation to Guatemala. In this last number were included the voters of Soconusco; 15,724 cast no votes. The junta therefore declared that Chiapas had legitimately pronounced in favor of union with Mexico. This declaration was solemnly made on the 14th, and celebrated with a te deum. Thus were the destinies of Chiapas fixed. With the aggregation to Mexico the office of the junta properly ceased; but as there was no political organization of the province, that body undertook to effect one. Its two principal duties were to bring together a convention to form the constitution of the state, and to see that the oath to support the federal constitution was duly taken. As to the first duty, it issued the necessary convocation, and fixed upon November 12th for the publication of the federal constitution, and the 13th and 14th for administering the oath. Notwithstanding some opposition on the part of the partisans of Guatemala, its decrees were carried out. On the 27th of September the junta addressed an energetic note to Guatemala containing a formal reclamation of Soconusco, which had been occupied by that government, but no effect was produced. However, the constitution of the state of Chiapas, framed November 19, 1825, in designating her territory, included Soconusco, one of the signers of the document being Pedro Corona, as representative of that department. The Mexican government confirmed Manuel Zebadúa as gefe político. State congress was installed on the fifth of January, 1825.

Under the constitution of 1824 the following political divisions were declared to be states of the union, namely: Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila and Texas,