Santa María–Calatrava Treaty

The Santa María–Calatrava Treaty (historically known as the definitive treaty of peace and friendship between Mexico and Spain) was a

Background

From 1521, Spain had conquered the territory known today as Mexico and subjugated the indigenous civilizations living there, founding a colony which would be elevated to the category of viceroyalty in 1535 called New Spain. Spain ruled over Mexico for three centuries.

On September 16, 1810, the Mexican War of Independence began with the so-called Cry of Dolores.^[1][2]

The war ended in 1821, with the signing of the

Even though most of the royalist armies within the Mexican territory had ceased hostilities and recognized the Treaties of Cordoba, the military incursions of Spain to try to reincorporate Mexico into its empire, did not cease for more than a decade. In 1825, the Spanish army seized the fortress of San Juan de Ulúa but was forced to retreat by Mexican forces. Later, another attempt by the Iberian country to reconquer Mexico culminated in the Battle of Tampico in 1829.

Meanwhile, Mexico had tried unsuccessfully to take the island of Cuba, a bastion of the royalist government in the Gulf of Mexico, in order to diminish the influence of Spain on these seas, to prevent further incursions and open a way out to the Atlantic Ocean.^[4]

The treaty

In 1833, King