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Abstract:
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This piece of Texan currency, printed for Stephen F. Austin’s colony in 1823 when Texas was still a territory of Mexico, represents part of the transition that took place after Mexico declared its independence from Spain in 1821. The first side of the currency is actually an outdated Papal bull that was printed in 1784 while Mexico was still firmly under Spanish control. It makes reference to a recent decree from Madrid that Catholics could now eat egg and milk products except during Holy Week and that, in exchange for this “indulgence,” members of the church should contribute to a tax that was to be used to fund a war against “infidels.” The document states that the amount of this tax was dependent upon the position of the church member. Due to a severe paper shortage the currency for the Austin colony was printed on the back of this outdated bull after Mexico had declared its independence from Spain, though this currency became quickly outdated as well. Following the Mexican War of Independence, Agustín de Iturbide proclaimed the Plan de Iguala, which declared Mexico to be independent of Spain and established the Mexican Empire in 1821. However, when the second side of this currency was printed just two years later, the Mexican Empire had already dissolved and the liberal-controlled Mexican Congress had disavowed the conservative Plan de Iguala and was working to establish the 1824 Constitution of Mexico. The printing on the second side of this document, then, represents an interim moment in the government of both Texas and Mexico. |
