MONCLOVA, COAHUILA, MEXICO. Monclova, once capital of Texas, was founded in 1674 by Antonio de Balcárcel at a site called Nuevo Almadén and renamed by him Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. Later the town also bore the name Leona Vicario, in honor of the wife of Quintana Roo. As headquarters of Alonso De León when he made his expeditions into Texas in 1689 and 1690, Monclova was the first colonial capital of Texas. With the establishment of the state of Coahuila and Texas, Saltillo was made the provincial capital. In 1833 the quarrel between Centralists and Federalists for control of the Mexican government caused a feud between Monclova and Saltillo, both of which wanted to be capital and to profit from the resulting concentration of land speculators. Monclova became capital on March 9, 1833, and was confirmed as such in 1834 by Antonio López de Santa Anna. By that time Texas had small interest in the matter.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Helen Willits Harris, "Almonte's Inspection of Texas in 1834," Southwestern Historical Quarterly 41 (January 1938). Francis Borgia Steck, "Forerunners of Captain de León's Expedition to Texas, 1670-1675," Southwestern Historical Quarterly 36 (July 1932).