Matías Romero Papers: Microfilm Collection
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.
Dates
- Creation: 1837-1899
Language of Materials
Spanish, English
Access Restrictions
Unrestricted.
The Matías Romero microfilm is accessible in the Benson Collection microfilm room at call number FILM 20897. The guide to the first 43 rolls of film, Archivo histórico de Matías Romero: catálogo descriptivo by Monroy Huitrón, Guadalupe, ed. is accessible in the Benson Collection rare books and manuscripts reading room at call number GZ 341.7 R6643BM.
Use Restrictions
Standard copyright restrictions apply.
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.
- 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
Full Extent
74 microfilm reel
Abstract
Microfilm of extensive correspondence (3,700 correspondents) and documents of Mexican diplomat Matías Romero.
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. Archivo histórico de Matías Romero: catálogo descriptivo. Mexico: Banco de México, 1954-1970. (2 v.) available at call number GZ 341.7 R6643BM in the Benson Rare Books and Manuscripts reading room.
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.
Biographical Source
- Ramírez, Alfonso Francisco. Matías Romero. México, D.F.: Secretaría de Educación Pública, 1966.
Processing Information
Prepared by the Mexican Archives Project, September 1994.
Geographic
Topical
- Agricultural resources--Mexico
- Agriculture--Economic aspects--Mexico
- Coffee--Mexico
- Debts, external--Mexico
- Diplomats--Mexico--Biography
- Extradition--Mexico
- Extradition--United States
- Indigenous peoples of North America
- 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--1867-1910
- Mexico--History--19th century
- Mexico--History--European intervention, 1861-1867
- Mexico--Politics and government--19th century
- Postal service--Mexico--History--1867-1910
- Railroads--Mexico
- Tariffs--Mexico
- United States--Claims
- United States--Commerce--Mexico
- United States--Foreign economic relations--Mexico
- United States--Foreign relations--1865-1898
- United States--Foreign relations--Civil War, 1861-1865--Diplomacy
- United States--Foreign relations--Mexico
- United States--History--1865-1898
- United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
- United States--Territorial expansion
- Title
- Matías Romero Papers:
- Subtitle
- Microfilm Collection
- Author
- Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection
- Date
- 2001
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Revision Statements
- February 12, 2003: Edited with XMetal3 by Bob Stewart following TARO 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).
- 2020 April: Date normalization by Julia Davila Coppedge.
- 2021 April: Edited by Carla O. Alvarez to fix compliance check errors to prepare for the migration to new TARO website.
- 2021 November: Edited by Devon Murphy to update control access terms and formatting based on the TARO Control Access List.
- 2025 July: Revised by Ryan Sullivant to fix validation errors prior to ingestion into ArchivesSpace.
Repository Details
Part of the Benson Latin American Collection, The University of Texas at Austin Repository
2300 Red River Street
Austin Texas 78712 United States
(512) 495-4578
bensonspecialcollections@austin.utexas.edu