The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 21, July 1917 - April, 1918 Page: 224
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The Southwestern Historical Quarterly
tion was subordinate to the intendent of San Luis Potosi.2 Each
province had its own governor and military commandant -and was
subdivided, or divisible, into depaxtn14ents, districts (partidos),
and municipalities. Texas constituted one department, and in
1820 contained but two organized municipalities, Bexar and La
Bahia, the present Goliad. The government of a municipality,
which included not only the town but much of the surrounding
country, was an ayuntamiento.
Prior to 1820 there does not appear to have been anything that
might be considered a federal or inter-provincial legislative body,
but in the summer of that year Arredondo received news of the
1ing's renewed acceptance of the Constitution of 1812, with or-
ders to have his provinces elect deputies to the Spanish C6rtes
and representatives to a provincial deputation. The Eastern
Provinces were allowed two deputies in the C6rtes, and repre-
sentation in the provincial assembly was to be based on popula-
tion as shown by the census of 1818. A "junta preparatorio,"
consisting of eight civil and ecclesiastical officials was to divide the
provinces into electoral districts and apportion representation.3
On July 6 this junta met at Monterey. It recognized Bexar
as the capital of Texas, and instructed the Governor to have an
elector chosen to come to Monterey and join those of other dis-
tricts in electing .deputies to the C6rtes and to the provincial
deputation.' The local procedure was somewhat elaborate. First,
Bexar chose twenty-one electors and La Bahia eleven. The Bexar
delegation then selected two representatives and the La Bahia
electors one; and on September 10 these three met at Bexar and
selected Juan Manuel Sarnbrano as the provincial elector.0 On
October 1 the electoral junta of the four provinces under Arre-
dondo's command met at Monterey and elected deputies to the
C'6rtes. The next day it elected the provincial deputation, com-
posed of seven delegates-two, each for Coahuila, Nuevo Leon,
'This statement is based on correspondence of 1820 in the Bexar
Archives between Arredondo and the intendency of San Luis Potost.
'Instruccion d la cual deberdn celebrarse en las provincias de Ultramar
las elecciones de Diputados de C6rtes. . . . Nacogdoches Archives,
Texas State Library.
"Arredondo to Martinez, August 2, 1820. Bexar.
"lbid.; and local election returns of Bexar and La Bahia in Bexar
Archives.224
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 21, July 1917 - April, 1918, periodical, 1918; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101073/m1/230/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.