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September 1847, U.S. forces were in control of California and New Mexico. General Zachary Taylor’s troops occupied much of northern Mexico and Mexico
city was occupied by the troops of General Scott. The
War ended in February 1848 with the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The victorious
U.S. dictated the terms of the treaty which forced Mexico to give up an area the
size of Spain, France, and Italy combined: 525,000 square miles. Mexico
surrendered all claims to Texas and gave up a vast territory known as the
Mexican Cession. The territory in the Mexican Cession eventually became the
present day states of California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, Colorado,
and New Mexico. The U.S. agreed to pay Mexico $15 million and take over payment
of the damages claimed by Americans against Mexico. The
U.S. promised in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to grant full citizenship
rights to Mexicans living in the Mexican Cession, and to respect religious
beliefs and property rights. With the Gadsden purchase in 1853 (a strip of land
in southern Arizona and New Mexico), the U.S. had acquired all of Mexico’s
territory north of the Rio Grande.