The Laws of Texas, 1822-1897 Volume 1 Page: 61

CONSTITUTIVE ACTS
OF THE
MEXICAN FEDERATION
21 OF JANUARY, 1824
The Supreme Executive Power, provisionally appointed by the sover-
eign Mexican Congress, to all to whom these presents shall come, greet-
ing: Know ye, that the sovereign Constituent Congress has decreed as
follows:
The sovereign Constituent Mexican Congress has thought proper to
enact the following Constitutive Act of the Federation.
Form of government and Religion.
Art. 1. The Mexican nation is composed of the provinces formerly
known as the vice-royalty of New Spain, the captain-generalship of
Yucatan, and the internal provinces of the east and west.
Abt. 2. The Mexican nation is for ever free and independent of Spain,
and of every other power, and it is not, nor can it ever become the patri-
mony of any family or person.
Art. 3. The sovereign power resides wholly and exclusively in the
nation, which has consequently the exclusive power to adopt and to es-
tablish by means of its representatives, the form of government and other
fundamental laws, which may appear to it best suited to its preservation
and prosperity, and to change and to modify such laws, whenever it may
think proper.
Art. 4. The religion of the Mexican nation is and shall perpetually
remain the Roman Catholic and Apostolic. The nation protects it by
just and wise laws, and prohibits the exercise of every other.
Art. 5. The nation adopts for the form of its government, a popular
representative and federal republic.
Art. 6. Its integral parts are free, sovereign and independent states,
in as far as regards exclusively its internal administration, according to
the rules laid down in this act, and in the general constitution.
Art. 7. The states, at present comprising the federation, are the fol-
lowing; viz: Guanjuato; the internal state of the west composed of the
provinces of Sonora and Sinaloa; the internal state of the east comprising
the provinces of New Leon, Coahuila and Texas; the internal state of the
north containing the provinces of Chihuahua, Durango and New Mexico;
Mexico; Michoacan; ajaca; Puebla de los Angeles; Queretaro; San Luis
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