OUR LEGACY - The Mexican War

Mexico promptly severed relations with United States and, soon thereafter, the Mexican-American War broke out. Texans volunteered for military action in large numbers, and the increased traffic through the Port of Houston further contributed to the city's growth. When hostilities ended with the signing of the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo on February 2, 1848, Mexico yielded all its claims to the territory of Texas, as part of nearly one million square miles of land it ceded to the United States. In addition to Texas, Mexico lost the territories that later became the states of New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California and Utah, as well as parts of present day Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, and Oklahoma.