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This rare 1835 Texas map, which appeared in David Woodman Jr.'s Guide to Texas Emigrants, offers a detailed view of the colonization grants managed by Lorenzo de Zavala, Joseph Vehlein, and David G. Burnet. These grants, located in eastern Texas, were pivotal to the Mexican government's strategy of using the empresario system to attract settlers, primarily from the United States to its northern frontier. The map vividly delineates the boundaries of each grant, using color to distinguish them, and highlights key rivers, towns, and geographic features, emphasizing the region's suitability for settlement. An inset of Galveston Bay provides additional detail, reflecting the bay's critical role as a major port for immigrants and trade during this period.
Context
The map was published at a time of significant political and cultural change in Texas. The empresario system, though successful in attracting settlers, created growing friction between Anglo-American colonists and the Mexican government. Settlers often resisted Mexican laws, particularly regarding the prohibition of slavery and requirements for cultural assimilation, leading to rising tensions. Zavala, Vehlein, and Burnet, as leading figures in the colonization efforts, were directly involved in shaping the migration patterns that fueled these conflicts.
By 1835, the region was on the brink of a revolution that would give birth to the Republic of Texas. Discontent among settlers over Mexican governance and the centralization policies of President Santa Anna had reached a critical stage. This map served as a practical guide for prospective emigrants and symbolized the optimism and ambition that characterized the Anglo-American colonization of Texas. It captures a moment of opportunity and conflict, illustrating the transformation of Texas from a sparsely populated frontier to a region on the verge of declaring its independence.
Rarity
We find only one example of the Woodman book having sold at auction in the last decade: the Ted Lusher copy ($25,000, Heritage, 2023). The map was last sold separately in 2016.
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