La Comisión de Límites de México y el levantamiento de la Iínea divisoria entre México y Estados Unidos, 1849 - 1857

Abstract

When the Mexico-US war ended, it was necessary to define the borderline between the two countries. The Guadalupe-Hidalgo (1848) and La Mesilla or Gadsden (1853) treaties specified these borders Each country assigned a commission that worked jointly and agreed on the location of the monuments to set this borderline in the field. The Mexican Commission was integrated by engineers from the Mining and Military Colleges The differences regarding working conditions, equipment and government support were considerable between the two commissions. However, the adequate professional training of Mexican engineers made them earn the respect and appreciation from their U. S. counterparts. The Commission conducted field work during the first six years, doing land surveys, positioning of points on the borderline using astronomic and topographic methods, and monument construction It also elaborated field plans and maps which served as bases for the cartography during the last year. This paper aims to illustrate the achievements of this Commission.