The first treaty between Mexico and the United States, confirming their shared border based on the 1819 Adams–Onís Treaty.
Key Facts
- Date concluded
- 12 January 1828
- Entered into force
- 5 April 1832
- U.S. signatory
- Joel Roberts Poinsett
- Mexican signatories
- Sebastián Camacho and José Ignacio Esteva
- Border basis
- Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819
- Replaced by
- Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (after Mexican–American War)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following Mexican independence from Spain, the new United States of Mexico needed to formally establish its borders with the United States. The 1819 Adams–Onís Treaty had set the boundary between the U.S. and Spanish territory, but a new bilateral agreement was required to confirm that boundary between the two sovereign nations.
On 12 January 1828 in Mexico City, Joel Roberts Poinsett signed the Treaty of Limits on behalf of the United States, while Sebastián Camacho and José Ignacio Esteva signed for Mexico. The treaty confirmed the Mexico–U.S. boundary as established by the 1819 Adams–Onís Treaty and became the first treaty concluded between the two countries, entering into force on 5 April 1832.
The treaty was amended in 1831 and 1835, and its boundary provisions were later extended to the Republic of Texas by an 1838 agreement. However, U.S. recognition of Texan independence in 1836 and the annexation of Texas in 1845 were seen by Mexico as violations of the treaty, contributing to the Mexican–American War. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ultimately replaced it by establishing a new boundary.
Political Outcome
Confirmed the Mexico–United States border as defined by the 1819 Adams–Onís Treaty; later superseded by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo after the Mexican–American War.