Treaties

A treaty established the Rio Grande as part of the boundary between the United States and Mexico in 1848. The Chamizal treaty of 1963 settled a longstanding dispute about land along a small portion of that boundary. In the century between them, the two countries used treaties to make agreements about the location of the boundary and what to do when a river boundary moved. Here, you can read the texts of US-Mexico treaties related to the dispute and its resolution.

1848: Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Officially titled, "Treaty of Peace, Friendship, Limits, and Settlement Between the United States of America and the United Mexican States," this treaty brought an end to the US-Mexican War. It also established the Rio Grande as part of the boundary between the two countries.

1884: Boundary Line: Rio Colorado, Rio Grande

The Convention of 1884 reaffirmed the river’s deepest channel as the international boundary. It also acknowledged the river’s changing course. If the river channel moved gradually over time, the boundary moved with it. If the river shifted suddenly, the boundary remained along the previous course.

1905: Banco Convention

The Banco Convention settled ownership of bancos, lands left between old river channels and new ones created by flooding. This treaty enabled the two countries to exchange some land.

1910: Chamizal Arbitration Treaty

In 1911, the United States and Mexico took the Chamizal case to arbitration. This treaty was the agreement between the two countries on the terms of the arbitration.

1933: Rectification Convention

In the Rectification Convention, Mexico and the United States agreed to straighten and shorten a section of the Rio Grande in the El Paso-Juárez Valley by 67 miles. The Chamizal question remained a separate and unresolved issue. Numerous parcels of land were exchanged.

1963: Chamizal Convention

After 100 years of continuous efforts, the Chamizal boundary dispute was finally resolved by the implementation of this treaty.