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Benson Latin American Collection

Rare Books and Manuscripts

Inventory

Matías Romero Papers

Prepared by the Mexican Archives Project
September 1994

Introduction

Microfilm of the Matías Romero Papers was acquired by the Benson Latin American Collection from the Banco de México and the Library of Congress, which hold the original documents. The papers were described by the Benson's Mexican Archives Project in September 1994.

The physical extent of the papers is 74 reels of microfilm. The papers consist primarily of items in the Spanish and English languages.

Items 1-32,459 (reels 1-43) of the Banco de México holdings are described in the following: Monroy Huitrón, Guadalupe, ed., Archivo histórico de Matías Romero : Catálogo descriptivo (2 v.), Mexico: 1965, 1970.

The suggested citation for the papers is "Matías Romero Papers, 1837-1899, Benson Latin American Collection, General Libraries, University of Texas at Austin."

Biographical Sketch

Diplomat, public servant, author, politician, railroad company executive, and agricultural researcher. Born 1837 in Oaxaca; died 1898 in New York. While a student in law school, Matías Romero began to correspond with Benito Juárez and to serve the Juarist faction. During the years 1859-1898, he held posts intermittently in the Mexican diplomatic service in Washington, D.C. and in the Mexican Ministry of Treasury. He also served as a colonel in the military (1863), substitute senator for Chiapas (1875), deputy to Congress (1876), and administrator general of the postal system (1880). During the 1870s Romero researched the agricultural resources of several southern Mexican states and attempted to engage in agriculture and business; he also was superintendent of the Compañía Ferrocarril Meridional Mexicana (1881) and published many articles and a few books.

Chronology

Feb. 24, 1837Born in Oaxaca de Juárez
1855Concludes preparatory courses for study of law
Moves to Mexico City
Appointed emeritus in the Ministry of Exterior Relations
Oct. 12, 1857Receives law degree
Joins with liberals under command of General Ignacio Zaragosa
Goes to Guanajuato to join the army but is commissioned into the Ministry of Relations
Accompanies Juárez to Guadalajara
Taken prisoner by Commander Landa
Is freed and follows Juárez to Veracruz via Panamá
Serves as Melchor Ocampo's private secretary in Veracruz and as official in varias secretariats
1859Publishes "Tabla sinóptica de los tratados y convenciones que han negociado los Estados Unidos de México con las naciones extranjeras"
Dec. 1859Named Secretary of the Mexican Legation in Washington
Aug. 14, 1860Appointed ad interim in charge of affairs at the Legation by Ambassador José María Mata
Dec. 22, 1860Juárez instructs Romero to approach Abraham Lincoln
Romero visits Lincoln before Lincoln's inauguration as President of the U.S.A.
May 1862Under Minister of Relations Manuel Doblado, Romero is designated "en propiedad"
April 29, 1863Romero returns to México
Is appointed rank of coronel and "Jefe del Estado Mayor del general Porfirio Díaz"
Sept. 1863Goes to Washington, D.C., to serve as Minister of México in the United States
Oct. 1867Returns to México
Jan. 15, 1868Named Secretary of Hacienda by President Benito Juárez
May 27, 1868Receives instructions to go the the U.S.A. to complete treaties he previously initiated. Treaties signed this year pertain to claims of Mexican citizens against the U.S. and viceversa, citizenship, and consular matters.
Aug. 1, 1868Returns to his work as Secretary of Hacienda
May 15, 1872Withdraws from the Ministry for health reasons and travels to Soconusco, Tapachula, and other sites in Mexico.
Attempts agricultural and mercantile endeavors but has problems with President J. Rufino Barrios of Guatemala and with Soconusco cacique, Sebastián Escobar.
Sept. 1875Returns to México City as substitute senator for Chiapas
Sept. 16 - Nov.20, 1876Deputy to the Congress of the Union for the fifth district of Oaxaca state
May 1877Does research in Guadalajara, Colima, and Michoacán
In charge of the office of the Minister of Treasury (Hacienda)
1879Leaves government service for health reasons
Apr. 28 - July 8,1879Travels around Oaxaca and Veracruz studying conditions for coffee cultivation
Goes to the U.S.A. and forms a company for construction of a railroad from México to Oaxaca. Gets General Ulysses Grant involved. Romero is appointed company manager.
May 15, 1882Becomes ambassador extraordinaire and minister plenipotentiary to U.S.A.
Aug. 12, 1882Signs preliminary agreement on borders with Guatemala
May - Oct. 1883In Europe
1884Resigns position as minister of México in Washington during General Manuel Gonzalez's rule but is reappointed by General Porfirio Díaz
1886His El Estado de Oaxaca is published
1892Occupies the office of the Minister of Treasury (Hacienda)
Feb. 23, 1893Returns to U.S. as ambassador
Dec. 30, 1898Dies in New York

Sources: Ramírez, Alfonso Francisco. Matías Romero. México, D.F.: Secretaría de Educación Pública, 1966.

Scope and Contents Note

Microfilm of items held by the Banco de México (reels 1-72) and the Library of Congress. Reels 1-71 (1837-1899) contain correspondence, newspaper clippings and other printed material, financial documents, drafts of articles, official and legal documents, and lists relating to the public and private affairs and interests of Matías Romero. Among more than 3,700 correspondents are included Benito Juárez, Porfirio Díaz, Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada, and Manuel González; subjects of correspondence range from the diplomatic, economic, military, and political matters of Mexico and the United States to the mundane concerns of Romero, his family, and constituents. The second half of reel 71 and reel 72 (1866-1897) contain newspaper clippings, U.S. government publications, articles and other printed materials, official and legal documents, letters, manuscripts, drafts of articles, reports, and lists relating to a railroad, U.S. annexation interests, free trade zones and other United States-Mexico border issues.

Reel 73 contains the monograph, Refutación de las inculpaciones hechas al c.Matías Romero por el gobierno de Guatemala, published in 1876 by Romero about resistance by Guatemalan and local Mexican officials to his attempts to conduct farming and business near Mexico's border with Guatemala. It contains an extensive appendix of associated documents. Reel 74 (1861-1888) contains 30 of Romero's letters held by the Library of Congress; they relate to events and conditions in Mexico or relay diplomatic courtesies and invitations.

Subgroups and Series

The following subgroups and series exist in the microfilmed Matías Romero Papers. The subgroups are:

I. Material held by the Banco de México, 1837-1884, 72 reels.
II. Material held by the Library of Congress, 1861-1888, 2 reels.

I. Banco de México

  1. Series, Items described in the catalog Archivo Histórico de Matías Romero. Mexico: Banco de México, 1965-. 1837-1884, 43 reels. Includes correspondence and assorted items, interfiled chronologically.

  2. Series, Items not described in the catalog Archivo Histórico de Matías Romero. Mexico: Banco de México, 1965-. 1885-1899 and undated, 29reels. Includes correspondence and assorted items, interfiled chronologically, dated 1885-1899 and undated, as well as newspaper clippings, printed material, and assorted items organized by subject, dated 1866-1897.

II. Library of Congress

  1. Series, the mongraph, Refutación de las inculpaciones hechas al C.Matías Romero por el gobierno de Guatemala. Mexico, Imp. poliglota de C. Ramiro y Ponce de Léon, 1876. 1 reel.

  2. Series, Correspondence, 1861-1888, 1 reel.

List of Names and Subject Headings

Listed below are personal names, corporate names, and subject headings from the Matías Romero Papers. Included are those appearing in the MARC-AMC record as well as those excluded from the record because of space constraints.

Personal Names

Álvarez, Juan, 1790-1867
Barrios, Justo Rufino, 1835-1885
Cutting, A.K.
Degollado, Mariano
Degollado, Santos
Díaz, Felix
Díaz, Porfirio, 1930-1915
Escobar, Sebastián (Soconusco cacique)
Gamboa, José Antonio, 1820?-1870?
Garza, Catarino
González, Manuel, 1830-1893
Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885
Jordan de Degollado, Otilia
Juárez, Benito, 1806-1872
Lerdo de Tejada, Sebastian, 1823-1889
Lincoln, Abraham
Maximilian, Emperor of Mexico, 1832-1867
Mier y Terán, Luís, 1835-1891
Navarro, Juan N, 1823-1904
Obregón, Ramón
Ocampo, Melchor, 1814-1861
Riva Palacio, Vicente, 1832-1896
Romero, José, 1871-1956 (nephew of Matías)
Romero, José (brother of Matías)
Romero, Matías, 1837-1898
Zarco, Juan

Corporate Names

Compañía Ferrocarril Meridional Mexicana
Corlies y Compañía
Ochoa y Carbajal Compañía
Sociedad Agrícola Mexicana

Subject Headings

Agricultural resources - Mexico
Agriculture - Economic aspects -- Mexico
Coffee - Mexico
Debts, external - Mexico
Diplomats - Mexico -- Biography
Extradition - Mexico
Extradition - United States
Indians of North America
Mexican-American Border Region
Mexico - Boundaries -- Guatemala
Mexico - Commerce -- United States
Mexico - Economic conditions -- 19th century
Mexico - Foreign relations -- 1821-1861
Mexico - Foreign relations -- 1861-1867
Mexico - Foreign relations -- 1867-1910
Mexico - History - 19th century
Mexico - History -- European intervention, 1861-1867
Mexico - History -- 1867-1910
Mexico - Politics and government -- 19th century
Postal service - Mexico -- History -- 1867-1910
Railroads - Mexico
Tariff - Mexico
United States - Claims
United States - Commerce -- Mexico
United States - Foreign economic relations -- Mexico
United States - Foreign relations -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Diplomacy
United States - Foreign relations -- 1865-1898
United States - Foreign relations -- Mexico
United States - History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
United States - History -- 1865-1898
United States - Territorial expansion

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