urn:taro:utexas.blac.00044 Matías Romero: An Inventory of Microfilm of His Papers at the Benson Latin American Collection Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by Apex Data Services, July 2001. ENG February 12, 2003 Edited with XMetal3 by Bob Stewart followingTARO EAD V.1 Editing for BLAC Finding Aids. Tue Jul 22 14:58:28 CDT 2003 urn:taro:utexas.blac.00044 converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02.xsl (20030505). Descriptive Summary Romero, Matías, 1837-1898. Matías Romero Papers (microfilm) 1837-1899 74 microfilm reels 33262483 Benson Latin American Collection, General Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin Microfilm of extensive correspondence (3,700 correspondents) and documents of Mexican diplomat Matías Romero. and [code "spaeng" not found in ISO 639-2 list]. Biographical Note

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, 1837 Born in Oaxaca de Juárez 1855 Concludes preparatory courses for study of law Moves to Mexico City Appointed emeritus in the Ministry of Exterior Relations Oct. 12, 1857 Receives 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 1859 Publishes “Tabla sinóptica de los tratados y convenciones que han negociado los Estados Unidos de México con las naciones extranjeras” Dec. 1859 Named Secretary of the Mexican Legation in Washington Aug. 14, 1860 Appointed ad interim in charge of affairs at the Legation by Ambassador José María Mata Dec. 22, 1860 Juárez instructs Romero to approach Abraham Lincoln Romero visits Lincoln before Lincoln's inauguration as President of the U.S.A. May 1862 Under Minister of Relations Manuel Doblado, Romero is designated “en propiedad” April 29, 1863 Romero returns to México Is appointed rank of coronel and “Jefe del Estado Mayor del general Porfirio Díaz” Sept. 1863 Goes to Washington, D.C., to serve as Minister of México in the United States Oct. 1867 Returns to México Jan. 15, 1868 Named Secretary of Hacienda by President Benito Juárez May 27, 1868 Receives 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, 1868 Returns to his work as Secretary of Hacienda May 15, 1872 Withdraws 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. 1875 Returns to México City as substitute senator for Chiapas Sept. 16 - Nov.20, 1876 Deputy to the Congress of the Union for the fifth district of Oaxaca state May 1877 Does research in Guadalajara, Colima, and Michoacán In charge of the office of the Minister of Treasury (Hacienda) 1879 Leaves government service for health reasons Apr. 28 - July 8,1879 Travels 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, 1882 Becomes ambassador extraordinaire and minister plenipotentiary to U.S.A. Aug. 12, 1882 Signs preliminary agreement on borders with Guatemala May - Oct. 1883 In Europe 1884 Resigns position as minister of México in Washington during General Manuel Gonzalez's rule but is reappointed by General Porfirio Díaz 1886 His El Estado de Oaxaca is published 1892 Occupies the office of the Minister of Treasury (Hacienda) Feb. 23, 1893 Returns to U.S. as ambassador Dec. 30, 1898 Dies in New York 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.

The papers consist primarily of items in Spanish and English.

 Acquisition Information

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.

Processing Information

Prepared by the Mexican Archives Project, September 1994.

Preferred Citation

Matías Romero Papers, 1837-1899, Benson Latin American Collection, General Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin.

 Index Terms

Listed below are names of persons, names of organizations, and topical subjects from the Matías Romero Papers, including entries in the UTNetCAT catalog record describing the collection, plus other entries not included in the catalog record because of space constraints.

Persons 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 Organizations Compañía Ferrocarril Meridional Mexicana Corlies y Compañía Ochoa y Carbajal Compañía Sociedad Agrícola Mexicana Subjects 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 Other Finding Aid

Items 1-32,459 (reels 1-43) of the Banco de México holdings are described in the following: Monroy Huitrón, Guadalupe, ed. <emph render="italic">Archivo histórico de Matías Romero: catálogo descriptivo. </emph> Mexico: Banco de México, 1954-1970. (2 v.)

Biographical Source Ramírez, Alfonso Francisco. <emph render="italic">Matías Romero. </emph> México, D.F.: Secretaría de Educación Pública, 1966. Subgroups and Series 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 <emph render="italic">Archivo histórico de Matías Romero</emph> 1965-. 1837-1884, 43 reels.

Includes correspondence and assorted items, interfiled chronologically.

 2. Series, Items not described in <emph render="italic">Archivo histórico de Matías Romero</emph> 1965-. 1885-1899 and undated 29 reels.

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: <emph render="italic">Refutación de las inculpaciones hechas al C.Matías Romero por el gobierno de Guatemala.</emph> Mexico, Imp. poliglota de C. Ramiro y Ponce de Léon, 1876. 1 reel. 2. Series, Correspondence, 1861-1888 1 reel.