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The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo which ended the Mexican-American War was signed "at the main altar of the old Basilica of Guadalupe", or possibly in an adjacent building. This is a major Catholic pilgrimage site, near the site of the 1531 apparitions of the Virgin of Guadalupe. In or around 1709 the basilica was built. In 1828, the surrounding village was renamed after the independence hero Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. The villa of Guadalupe Hidalgo was therefore iconic even before the treaty was signed.

Why was this highly symbolic site chosen for the signing of the treaty? Was it the war's losers or winners who sought to attach the names of the great national icons, the Virgin and Hidalgo?

Vieja Basilica

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    FYI, according to this book (figure I, p.41), the treaty was probably signed in an adjacent building, rather than on the altar. – Denis de Bernardy Jul 9 '19 at 7:53
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    You might be able to find the answer in Trist's papers. – Denis de Bernardy Jul 9 '19 at 8:11
  • @DenisdeBernardy good points. Looks like reels 8 and 9 of the microfilm could be useful. – Aaron Brick Jul 9 '19 at 14:16
  • No idea which ones, TBH. I was hoping to locate his personal diaries from the couple of days or weeks before Feb 2 1948, as they struck me as the most likely to contain something along the lines of "X invited us to negotiate/finalize the deal at [location]" (there's usually a benevolent patron somewhere) but my search went nowhere. :-) That they celebrated a mass immediately after signing the treaty might be a hint. For all we know it might be the priest in charge of the premise, either by his own initiative, or as a favor to someone who knew him. – Denis de Bernardy Jul 9 '19 at 14:33

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