DUANE
Duane's take
Now, the marker on the plaza here in Laredo tells this story, and I'm gonna pass it along to you just as it stands. In January of 1840, a man named Señor Antonio Canales gathered with other Federalists near Guerrero to do something audacious — they were going to found a whole new republic. They called it the Republic of the Rio Grande.
Canales and his friends were loyal to the Mexican constitution of 1824, the one that had been set aside by the Centralists up in Mexico City, and they weren't just going to sit quietly about it. This new republic would govern northern Mexico and the part of Texas south of the Nueces River. They set up a full government, too — Jesús Cárdenas as president, Francisco Vidaurri y Villaseñor as vice president, and Juan Francisco Farías serving as secretary.
And for a capitol building, they chose 1000 Zaragoza Street — right here on this very plaza in Laredo. A republic, a constitution, a capitol. They had everything.
Almost. What they didn't have was time. Centralist General Manuel Arista had heard enough, and he brought an army to put an end to the whole thing.
In March, he rolled into Laredo without so much as a fight. Then came the battle at Morelos, and there Arista captured and killed the Federalist leader Antonio Zapata. Now that's the kind of loss that changes the shape of a war.
But the Federalists — Mexican and Anglo-Texan alike — hit back. They recaptured Laredo and several other towns, and for a moment it looked like this young republic still had some fight left in it. Then came Saltillo.
Confronted by a large Centralist force, the Anglo-Texans and some Carrizo Indians found themselves making a lone stand. Many of their comrades had fled. After a bloody battle, the Indians and the Texans escaped north across the Rio Grande.
And one by one, the republic came apart at the seams. Canales, deserted by his own army, surrendered to Arista near Camargo. And a few days after that, Cárdenas gave up Laredo.
The Republic of the Rio Grande had lasted two hundred and eighty-three days. Two hundred and eighty-three days of flags and constitutions and grand intentions — born on this plaza, and gone before the year was out.
What the marker says
In January 1840 Senor Antonio Canales and other Federalists met near Guerrero to found the Republic of the Rio Grande. Canales and friends were loyal to the Mexican constitution of 1824, which had been set aside by Centralists in Mexico City. The Republic was to govern northern Mexico and the part of Texas south of the Nueces. Jesus Cardenas was president; Francisco Vidaurri y Villasenor, vice president; and Juan Francisco Farias, secretary. The capitol was established at 1000 Zaragoza Street, on this plaza in Laredo. Centralist General Manuel Arista brought an army here to crush the Republic. In March he took Laredo without a fight; then after a battle at Morelos, he captured and killed Federalist leader Antonio Zapata. Mexican and Anglo-Texan Federalists counterattacked, and recaptured Laredo and several other towns; but confronted by a large Centralist force at Saltillo, the Anglo-Texans found themselves and some Carrizo Indians making a lone stand. Many comrades had fled. After a bloody battle, the Indians and Texans escaped to the north of the Rio Grande. Canales, deserted by his army, surrendered to Arista near Camargo, and in a few days Cardenas gave up Laredo. The Republic of the Rio Grande had lasted 283 days. (1976, 1994)