Burr, David H. “The United States of Mexico.” From "A New Universal Atlas"

David H. Burr. “The United States of Mexico.”   From A New Universal Atlas. 

New York: D.H. Burr, [Feb. 16, 1832]-1835.12 1/2 x 10 1/4.  Engraving by Illman & Pilbrow.   Full original color.  Very good condition.

An excellent map of the southwestern part of North America, along with Central America, by David H. Burr, one of the most important American cartographers of the first part of the nineteenth century.  Having studied under Simeon DeWitt, Burr produced the second state atlas issued in the United States, of New York in 1829.  He was then appointed to be geographer for the U.S. Post Office and later geographer to the House of Representatives.  This is his map of Mexico–including Texas and today’s southwestern United States–and Central America.
 
This map was finished in 1832, but published as part of Burr’s atlas just a year before Texas declared its independence.  The map thus shows Mexico just Texas broken off, and indeed just over a decade before it lost its entire northern section, becoming today’s American southwest.  Stephen F. Austin had received a grant to settle in Texas in 1823 and more and more Americans moved into the area until in 1830 the Mexican government forbade further emigration into Texas from the United States.  Relations between the Americans in Texas and Mexico deteriorated and in June 1832—just after this map was printed—the first fighting broke out at the Battle of Velasco.  This map shows early settlements in Texas, including San Felippe de Austin, S. Antonio, la Trinity, Ft. del Altar, Espada, Lagunilla, Matagordia, Brazoria, and Nacadoches.  The settlements of New Mexico, including Taos, Santa Fe and Albuquerque are show and the information in the inset map of South America (“Guatemala or the United Provinces of Central America”) is also very good.