Territories of Mexico


The territories of Mexico are part of the history of 19th and 20th century independent Mexico. The country created territories for areas too lightly populated to be states, or for political reasons.

List of territories

The 1824 Constitution of Mexico defined four territories. Seven others were created later in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
DateTerritoryChangeLegal source
4 October 1824Alta California TerritoryCreated1824 Constitution of Mexico
4 October 1824Baja California TerritoryCreated1824 Constitution of Mexico
4 October 1824Colima TerritoryCreated1824 Constitution of Mexico
4 October 1824Nuevo México TerritoryCreated1824 Constitution of Mexico
24 November 1824Tlaxcala TerritoryCreated from parts of Puebla.
23 May 1835Aguascalientes TerritoryCreated from parts of Zacatecas.
3 May 1858Created from Campeche District of Yucatán.
12 December 1884Tepic TerritoryCreated from parts of Jalisco.By decree of President Manuel González
16 January 1902Territory of Quintana RooCreated from part of Yucatán.By decree of President Porfirio Díaz
4 July 1914Bravo TerritoryCreated from parts of Chihuahua
4 July 1914Jiménez TerritoryCreated from parts of Chihuahua
4 July 1914Morelos TerritoryCreated from Morelos
30 December 1930North Territory of Baja CaliforniaCreated from Baja California TerritoryBy decree of President Pascual Ortiz Rubio
30 December 1930South Territory of Baja CaliforniaCreated from Baja California TerritoryBy decree of President Pascual Ortiz Rubio