Label Type
Object LabelLabel
Ley De Colonización [Law Of Colonization]
1828
Leona Vicario [Saltillo], Coahuila, Mexico
Samuel Bangs (American, c. 1798–1854), printer
The Ley de Colonización (Law of Colonization) of Texas that was passed in March 1825 opened the Mexican territory to colonization by Anglo-Americans. Among its many requirements were that colonists must be Roman Catholic, own no slaves, and that taxes be sent to Mexico City. The rules set forth in the Ley de Colonización, their subsequent enforcement by the Mexican Army, and the colonists’ indisposition toward compliance set the stage for the eventual Texas Revolution.
This copy of the Law is one of only two known to exist. It was printed by Jose Manuel (Samuel) Bangs, while he was a captive of the Mexican government at Monterrey. His release a year later was contingent upon his converting to Roman Catholicism and becoming a Mexican citizen, hence his use of the name Jose Manuel. He was the first printer in Texas, indeed the first printer west of the Mississippi, after arriving to Galveston in February 1814 with Francisco Xavier Mina’s ill-fated expedition.
The Printing Museum Collection
1982.005.01