Image courtesy of Twitter.
Diplomatic relations between the United States and Mexico have been close and complicated over the years. After all, the two countries share nearly two thousand miles of border and centuries of history.
Once Mexico became a sovereign state with the signing of the Act of Independence on September 28, 1821, diplomatic relations with other countries on the continent began to consolidate.
In fact, that same year, El Libertador Simón Bolívar was the first to send his congratulations to Emperor Agustín Iturbide. The latter would turn his attention to the northern border country to establish relations that would set the tone for centuries to come.
Iturbide sent Manuel Zozaya as a representative to the government in Washington in 1822, and the latter was received by President James Monroe as Mexico’s first minister to the United States.
However, after the fall of Iturbide’s empire, the legation headed by Manuel Zozaya was replaced by Pablo Obregón in 1824, who acted as the representative of Mexico’s republican government in the United States.
Thanks to Louisiana’s proximity to Mexico, before the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the first Mexican consulate was opened in the country. From 1824 until 2002, the consulate would fulfill its function of protecting and assisting Mexicans in the United States.
It closed in 2002 due to budget cuts by the Mexican government and was reopened after Hurricane Katrina in 2008 by President George W. Bush to protect the rights of Mexican workers who came to rebuild New Orleans.
The consulate is located on Diamond Street, a commercial building that was built in 1824 and now has several dining establishments.
Fun facts:
- The Strother Hotel was the first Mexican legation headquarters registered as an embassy on U.S. soil. However, the legation’s limited resources did not allow them to remain in Washington D.C. and they moved to a rented property in Philadelphia.
- In 2013, the art gallery of the Mexican Consulate in New Orleans was inaugurated with the exhibition “Love and its consequences” by Hermion de Lagos.
- The National World War II Museum is 0.3 miles from the Consulate.
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Address: 901 Convention Center Blvd #119
Google 360 View: Visit the first Mexican Consulate in the U.S. by clicking here.
