For the people of Chiapas, the national holidays begin the day before the night of the Grito de Independencia (Cry of Independence), that is, on September 14th, the day on which the union of Chiapas with Mexico is celebrated.
This week marks the 201st anniversary of the first recorded plebiscite in what is now Mexico. The results of that consultation resulted in the definitive separation of Chiapas from the United Provinces of Central America and its annexation to the nascent Mexican federal republic.
The historical archives of the Chiapas government record that “a plebiscite, held on September 12th (1824), resulted in 96,829 votes for definitively becoming part of Mexico; 60,400 for union with Guatemala; and 15,724 abstentions (indifferent), for a total of 172,953 votes.”
With the results of that plebiscite, two days later, state records detail, “the federation of our Chiapas entity to the Mexican nation was carried out until September 14, 1824.”
Therefore, every September 14th, the union of Chiapas with Mexico is celebrated, and it is the quintessential holiday of Chiapas communities throughout the national territory, celebrating this day as “Chiapanequidad.”
With the union, the popular speech of Chiapas was integrated into Mexico, particularly with the use of the pronoun “vos,” which ceased to be used in New Spain from the middle of the Colonial period. It is common to hear, when speaking with Chiapas residents, phrases like: “Look at it, then, vos!”
The annexation of Chiapas to Mexico occurred in two parts, as Soconusco, the coastal region of Chiapas, rejected the result of the plebiscite and remained united with Guatemala for two more decades.
On July 24, 1824, Soconusco was incorporated into Guatemala and remained united with that country until September 11, 1842, when the president of Mexico, Antonio López de Santa Anna, decreed its union with Chiapas and Mexico. That same day, Tapachula was granted the status of city.
For almost three centuries, Chiapas was part of the Audiencia of Guatemala, like El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, and not part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, as is the case with the rest of the entities that are now part of Mexico.
When Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla gave the Cry of Independence on the night of September 15, 1810, the provinces of Central America also decided to declare their separation from Spain. The Night of the Cry is also a ceremony held in Central American countries.
When the independence of the Viceroyalty of New Spain and the Audiencia of Guatemala was achieved with the entry of Agustín de Iturbide’s Trigarante Army into Mexico City in 1821, both constituted the Mexican Empire until Iturbide’s abdication in 1823.
The people of Chiapas decided to become part of Iturbide’s Empire, which Mexico accepted on January 16, 1822. This short-lived union with the empire lasted until June 7, 1823, shortly after the monarch’s abdication on April 5, 1823.
In that year, Chiapas decided to declare itself free to join Mexico or rejoin Guatemala.
Mexico, angered by Chiapas’s attitude, sent General Vicente Filísola of the Guatemalan Expeditionary Division on July 29, 1823, to march to San Cristóbal de las Casas, dissolve the Provisional Supreme Government Junta of Chiapas, and restore order, appointing the Mexican-appointed political leader.
Filísola arrived in San Cristóbal on August 31, 1823, and declared the Provisional Junta dissolved on September 5, but not before its members issued strong protests.
The city of Comitán rose up in arms on October 28, 1823; Tuxtla Gutiérrez on the 29th; and the Plan of Free Chiapas was proclaimed in Comitán on October 26, with the aim of proclaiming the province’s right to determine its future and expel Mexican forces.
At the end of 1823, the united forces of Chiapas Libre ousted the Mexican army; the Supreme Junta was reinstated, and Chiapas declared itself an independent province, free and sovereign to decide.
In a circular dated March 22, 1824, Mexico asked all the districts in the province of Chiapas to express without delay which of the two nations, Mexico or Guatemala, they wished to federate with, offering the Junta to count the votes.
At that time, a decree from the Mexican Congress, dated May 26, 1824, arrived in San Cristóbal de las Casas, giving them three months to decide on joining Mexico or Guatemala.
The Mexican government sent José Javier de Bustamante as a delegate to count the votes from the 1824 plebiscite.
On September 12, 1824, the votes were counted, and the results were as follows: of the 172,953 inhabitants living in 104 towns in Chiapas and Soconusco, 96,829 (56%) voted for joining Mexico; while 60,400 (35%) voted for union with Guatemala; 15,724 (9%) declared themselves indifferent or neutral.
The Tonalá district, which included the towns of Pijijiapan and Mapastepec, with a population of 4,308, voted to join Guatemala along with Soconusco, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapa de Corzo, Cintalapa, Jiquipilas, Ocozocuautla, Tecpatán, Copainalá, Palenque, Ixtacomitán, and Suchiapa.
The towns that voted to join Mexico were San Cristóbal de las Casas, Comitán, San Bartolomé de los Llanos (now Venustiano Carranza), Chamula, and other highland indigenous communities. The towns that did not vote for either side were Ocosingo, Tumbalá, Sabanilla, and Moyos.
The coastal region of Chiapas, Soconusco, was displeased with Mexico’s pressure to hold the plebiscite and the presence of the delegate, and had previously decided, on July 24, 1824, to join Guatemala.
Therefore, Soconusco remained united with Guatemala until September 11, 1842, when President Antonio López de Santa Anna decreed its union with Chiapas and Mexico.
According to the theses: ¿Idiay pues vos? Aproximación sociolingüística al al voseo en Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, by Andrés Oceguera; and Voseo en Chiapas, by Paulina Abarca, the persistence of the use of the pronoun “vos” in the state was maintained by its isolation from major metropolises such as Spain and Mexico.
The American history of the voseo began with the arrival of the Spanish, who arrived at a time when the pronouns tú and vos coexisted.
While the use of vos fell out of use during the Spanish Colonial period in the Americas, it continued to be used in remote regions like Chiapas.
They point out that the use of tuteo became more established in areas with greater communication with Spain, such as Mexico. In the regions where voseo spread, it took on a different meaning than in Spain, where its use was considered vulgar and negative. Currently, the use of voseo is losing ground in common speech in Chiapas, becoming more common in conversations
and family gatherings.
The favorite phrases for voseo in Chiapas are: “Did you walk home?”; “And deay, then you!” (And, from there, you!, having a strange meaning); “How stupid you are!”; “Oí pue’vos.”
Also heard in the cities and towns of Chiapas are: “Hey you, bring me that”; “You’re arrogant, right?”; “You’re more cheap than what’s sold on the 5th Street of Tuxtla.”
THE ANNEXATION
Chiapas held a vote to decide whether it would become part of Mexico or Guatemala.
These are the historical events:
September 15, 1810
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla gives the Cry of Independence in Mexico, and the provinces of Central America also decide to declare their separation from Spain.
1821
The independence of the Viceroyalty of New Spain and the Audiencia of Guatemala is achieved with the entry of Agustín de Iturbide’s Trigarante Army into Mexico City. Both territories constitute the Mexican Empire.
January 16, 1822
The people of Chiapas decide to become part of Iturbide’s Empire, a decision accepted by Mexico.
1823
Chiapas decides to declare itself free to join Mexico or rejoin Guatemala.
July 29, 1823
Mexico, upset by Chiapas’s stance, sends General Vicente Filísola of the Expeditionary Division in Guatemala to march to San Cristóbal de las Casas, dissolve the Provisional Supreme Government Junta of Chiapas, and restore order.
Late 1823
The united forces of Free Chiapas oust the Mexican army, the Supreme Junta is reinstated, and Chiapas declares itself an independent province to make a free and sovereign decision.
March 22, 1824
Mexico, in a circular, asks all the districts of the province of Chiapas to express without delay which of the two nations Mexico aligns with. or Guatemala, wish to federate.
July 24, 1824
Soconusco, displeased with the pressure exerted by Mexico, first decides to join Guatemala.
September 12, 1824
A plebiscite is held in which the votes are counted in 104 towns in Chiapas and Soconusco. The result is: 96,829 votes for joining Mexico, 60,400 for joining Guatemala, and 15,724 abstentions.
September 14, 1824
Chiapas was federated into the Mexican nation two days after the results of the plebiscite were announced. Since then, its union with Mexico has been celebrated every September 14.
September 11, 1842
President Antonio López de Santa Anna decreed the union of Soconusco with Chiapas and Mexico.
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Source: excelsior
