Béjar

Béjar (Spanish pronunciation: /ˈbe.xar/), officially the Free Province of Béjar (Spanish: Provincia Libre de Béjar), is a Mejican province located in the region of Tejas, in the New North. It has a population of 5.2 million inhabitants, and its capital is located in San Antonio de Béjar. It borders the provinces of Matagorda to the north, Tamaulipas to the south, and Coahuila to the west, as well as the Gulf of Mejico to the southeast. Béjar covers a total area of 51,935 km2 and is the smallest province in the Tejas region.

Before European contact, Béjar was inhabited by a multitude of Indigenous groups, chiefly the Coahuiltecan peoples. This area, characterized by its diverse ecosystems ranging from arid deserts to lush river valleys, supported a variety of hunter-gatherer and agrarian societies. Various groups of Coahuiltecans, such as the Payaya, Jumanos, and Yanaguana lived in the area for thousands of years, living in semi-permanent settlements, hunting and gathering. There is evidence of trade with distant peoples, indicating that they were part of larger trading networks. The lessened sophistication of the Amerindian groups in this area meant they had smaller population numbers.

Spanish exploration and subsequent conquest commenced as a defensive maneuver against French incursions following their settlement of Louisiana. Viceroys of New Spain, aware of the political implications of France's colonial ambitions, dispatched expeditions to shore up the northern frontier and lay claim to the disputed territory. In this climate of imperial competition, the expeditions into Béjar were fueled by a sense of urgency, and unlike previous ventures, were supported with more resources and clearer directives. In 1685, expeditions culminated in the founding of San Antonio de Béjar and the mission of San Antonio de Valero, both key strategic, colonial, and missionary outposts. In the coming decades, missions and new presidios began to rise from the newly explored lands, intended both to convert local Coahuiltecans to Christianity and to fortify Spanish claims to the territory. Franciscan missionaries played a critical role in the evangelization of the region, founding several missions which later became key historical and cultural centers.

Throughout the viceregal period, the gap between the Spanish colonies and the unsettled frontier was bridged, with the extension of the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro to cover the new region, as well as the expansion of the interconnected web of presidios. The province's culture was shaped by Spanish and Mestizo influences, fostering a unique cultural expression. As the Spanish dominion strengthened, San Antonio became an important hub of economic activity, notably ranching, which emerged as the lifeblood of the provincial economy. Embracing Spanish pastoral tradition, the emblematic figure of the vaquero emerged. As skilled horsemen and cattle herders, vaqueros were pivotal to the ranching operations that spanned Béjar's open terrains. The development of cattle drives and the subsequent cattle trade routes ensured that beef, hides, and tallow flowed from Béjar to other parts of New Spain, and to the rest of the American market.

As ranching operations and settlements in the region of Tejas expanded, San Antonio's importance as a commercial and administrative center blossomed. Its strategic location as a crossroads of trade and culture in the New North caught the attention of the Spanish Crown, which sought to enhance administrative efficiency through the establishment of the Intendencia system in the late 18th century. This system, designed to streamline governance and improve fiscal management, subdivided the territories of New Spain into more manageable units. The region of Tejas was thus carved out as its own Intendencia, with San Antonio de Béjar as its administrative heart. As part of the Bourbon Reforms, the Intendencia de Tejas was empowered to oversee the region's military, financial, and civic responsibilities. The intendencia soon transitioned into becoming a province of the Kingdom of New Spain after independence in 1788.

In the wake of Mejican independence, the government of the newly formed kingdom, seeking to secure and populate the vast northern frontiers, implemented the Leyes de Colonización. These laws incentivized settlement by offering land grants to Mejican citizens and foreign settlers, promoting an influx of immigrants to sustain and defend the frontiers. The Intendencia de Tejas, and particularly the region surrounding San Antonio, became a focal point for colonization efforts. Mejicans and Spaniards, primarily from the regions of Murcia and the Canary Islands, were encouraged to settle, bringing with them agricultural practices, language, customs, and a communal sense of identity that would weave into the existing socio-cultural cresol.

Throughout the 19th century, the steady growth in population and economic development, spurred initially by ranching and later by the rise of cotton as a cash crop, cemented the Province of Tejas' as a regional powerhouse. However, in a decisive cultural shift later in the century, the Mejican government sought to further secure and exploit the vast, still sparsely populated lands of Tejas by endorsing Protestant immigration from Europe and North America, thereby diluting the strong Catholic foundations of the province. While this move successfully stimulated economic growth, it also brought cultural and religious transformation, leading to tensions between Mejican Catholics and newcomers. These frictions, compounded by the sprawling expanse of Tejas, ultimately pressured the Mejican government to reorganize the province's territorial integrity. The result was the subdivision of the grand Intendencia de Tejas into smaller provinces – among them Béjar, centered on San Antonio - in 1870.

During the Liberal Trentennium, Béjar witnessed an acceleration of modernization and liberal economic policies. The city of San Antonio, in particular, developed into a hub of commerce and innovation, with railroads connecting it more closely to other major urban centers in Mejico and the expansion of industries like textiles and metalwork complimenting its agricultural base. However, the push for modernization often came at the expense of rural and working-class communities, leading to social disparities that would later fuel discontent. The Mejican Civil War subsequently saw 7 governors in five years, often being overthrown as different factions gained and lost power in central Mejico. Ultimately, the Obregonista military governor Mauricio Alberto Maverick came to power in 1916.

Under José Vasconcelos and Salvador Abascal, Béjar saw its internal political strife quelled through the establishment of corporatist and synarchist structures, which effectively consolidated power and promoted a sense of national unity. The strong agricultural base of the province, accentuated by modernization efforts from previous decades, was instrumental in Béjar's adaptation to the corporatist model, arranging society into state-controlled sectors. Abascal's Synarchist views were introduced gradually and managed to root deeply in Bejar's conservative rural areas. As the decades progressed and Mejico transitioned through periods of liberalization and reform towards the end of the 20th century, Béjar too navigated its way through shifting political landscapes. The province adapted and its economy diversified, aided again by modernization efforts, particularly in the context of the digital revolution. Today the region maintains both a rural, agrarian landscape and a modern, technological orientation, on its journey towards modernization and economic advancement.