Chihuahua, Mexico: a State of Struggle Frontier Conditions, 1848-1857

This study concerns the examination and analysis of instability and violence in the northern Mexican frontier state of Chihuahua from 1848 to 1857. Hostile Indian tribes, drought, disease, and lawlessness inflicted deprivation on people living in this borderlands area of northern Mexico. Mexico's national government during this era also suffered difficulties as serious political and economic instability beset .the country. These national situations contributed to an unstable frontier region. Some of the difficulties rooted in national events or policies even intensified in the frontier states. Chihuahua's attempt to resolve its problems provides an excellent example of the hardships the entire frontier suffered. The period from 1848 to 1857 is an easily demarcated time segment for the intensive investigation of Chihuahua's attempts to cope with its problems. The immediate, internal threats to life in the state gave rise to a unique struggle for survival. At the end of the Mexican War, chihuahuenses concentrated on finding a lasting solution to the Indian problem. After United States troops withdrew from the state, hostile Indian activity increased. Remote and isolated from the more populous central region of Mexico, chihuahuenses became less involved in national affairs and more preoccupied with self-preservation. Their primary aim was somehow to control the Indians and bring political and economic stability to the region. With the advent of the liberal reforms of Benito Jua' rez in 1857, chihuahuenses became more active in national affairs. Although Apaches and Comanches continued raiding through Chihuahua almost until the beginning of the 20th century, the chihuahuenses' attention became less exclusively focused on solving such internal difficulties. The intense concern for the state's plight persisted, but after 1857 national events diverted and diluted the chihuahuenses' efforts to pacify the Indians. The goal of this study is two-fold: to examine the measures that chihuahuenses utilized in their attempts to control the Indians and achieve peaceful prosperity, and to determine the extent to which circumstances hindered the success of such attempts and their effect on progress within the state during the mid-nineteenth century. The examination of the period indicates that the violent and unstable frontier environment of Chihuahua prevented the significant advancement of the state's economy and society for many years. Information taken from accounts of Chihuahua's official governmental newspapers provides the majority of the primary evidence supporting the analysis.Histor