This is one of only three known maps that names Texas as “The Republic of Texas” on the face, since Texas has the distinction of having been an independent country for nine years. The Border of Texas was established as the Rio Grande River to its source after the Texans defeated the Mexican dictator Santa Anna in 1836. Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos and even a portion of what is now Colorado -including the land where Aspen and Vail are now - were all in Texas. In 1845 Texas joined the United States and became the 28th state.
The colonial capital of Texas, San Felipe de Austin, is marked as “Austin” near where present day Houston is located. The El Camino Real ran from Natchitoches on the Red River in Louisiana to Nacogdoches in east Texas to Mina on the Colorado River - the original name for Bastrop - and on to San Antonio de Bexar, which is shown on this map as Bejar. The El Camino Real was the only significant road in Texas at the time and continued on from San Antonio. Austin does not appear on this map since it was not established until 1839.
