The Treaty & the Border
Mesilla was founded by families who wanted to stay in Mexico, then became part of the United States through the Gadsden Purchase, which is also known as the Treaty of Mesilla.
Discover The Treaty & the Border
After the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo moved the border south of Dona Ana, Mexican families who did not want to be in the United States moved to the west bank, and the town was incorporated in 1848. In March 1850 sixty people left Dona Ana for the Mesilla lands, according to boundary commissioner John Russell Bartlett. (John Russell Bartlett, 1854)
When the boundary line was run in April 1851 it appeared to leave La Mesilla in Mexico, and the town celebrated with cannon fire and a grand ball. The map proved to be in error, the strip became known as No Man’s Land, and the Gadsden Purchase settled it. (Wikipedia)
The Gadsden Purchase, in Spanish Venta de La Mesilla, was signed in December 1853, took effect June 8, 1854, and brought Mexico US$10 million. (Wikipedia)
In 1861 Mesilla was the capital of the Confederate Territory of Arizona after the Battle of Mesilla; the Confederates left in July 1862. (Wikipedia)
Mesilla magic: The plaza, the basilica and the valley
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