In 1839, Jose Maria Costales of Chamisal submitted a petition to the local Prefecture of Paso del Norte, asking that over a hundred families of El Paso be allowed to settle “el punto de Doña Ana.” The Prefecture then forwarded the petition to state officials of Chihuahua.[1]
Why was the petition to settle Doña Ana sent to authorities in Chihuahua, instead of New Mexico? The answer: at the time, Paso del Norte and Doña Ana were in the jurisdiction of the State of Chihuahua. After the Mexican Independence, the State of Chihuahua’s northern border extended north of Paso del Norte (and north of Doña Ana) to the paraje de San Diego.[2]
[1] See Historical Background.
[2] Desconocidos, Mapa del Partidos de Estado de Chihuahua, circa 1830; Escudero, José de Agustin de. Noticias Estadísticas del Estado del Chihuahua. En la oficina del Puente de Palacio y Flamencos Núm. 1, por Juan Ojeda, 1834, p. 185 (“El punto limítrofe el estado de Chihuahua y el terrítorio de Nuevo México, es S. Diego, segun la diputacion provisional de dicho territorio.”)