The Battle of San Jacinto was an armed conflict between the Mexican army and the independence troops, which took place on April 21, 1836, within the framework of the Independence of Texas.

This battle took place near the San Jacinto Plain , in present-day Harris County , Texas , and lasted less than an hour. There the independence troops surprised and defeated the Mexican army .

In this way, the Texans achieved the Independence of the State of Texas , which years later became part of the United States.

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Causes and consequences of the battle of San Jacinto

Causes

The city of Texas, which previously belonged to Mexico , was an uninhabited and desert territory that had begun to be inhabited by American citizens , in order to promote commerce and activity.

For this reason, the Texan settlers were more linked to the customs, language and idiosyncrasies of the United States, and consequently to its economic activity. In addition, the prohibition of slavery in the Mexican Constitution had hurt Texans, who had a large amount of slave labor.

Added to the economic independence that Texas had been developing, this prompted the settlers to form a movement of rebellion and emancipation from the Mexican government.

Days prior to the battle of San Jacinto , the Battle of the Alamo took place, where the Mexican army managed to dominate the Texan rebels settled in the fort. However, the Texans managed to regroup quickly and attacked the Mexican army, which was based on the San Jacinto plain.

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Consequences

The main consequences of the Battle of San Jacinto were the following:

• The president and head of the Mexican army, Antonio López de Santa Anna, was taken prisoner and forced to sign the Treaty of Velasco , which granted the total independence of Texas.
• Texas became an independent state and years later the new territorial limits with Mexico were established. The Mexican government did not recognize this event and argued that the president was a prisoner of war when he had been forced to sign the treaty.
• Approximately 700 Mexicans died, 200 were wounded, and 700 prisoners of war.
• In 1845, Texas was annexed to the United States , becoming a state belonging to that country.
• In subsequent years, international relations between Mexico and the United States became difficult , and they came to face each other again in armed conflicts.