The previously ignored sector to the south…

The previously ignored sector to the south of Texas becomes the province of Nuevo Santander, named after Santander, Cantabria, Spain, in 1747 and settled by Spanish American colonists in a concerted settlement campaign peaking in 1748-1750.

Corresponding generally to the modern Mexican state of Tamaulipas and southern Texas, Nuevo Santander spans from the San Antonio river to the north east to the Gulf of Mexico, then south to the Panuco River near Tampico and west to the Sierra Madre Mountains.

The area becomes a haven for rebellious natives who have fled here after increased Spanish settlements in Nuevo Leon and Coahuila.

Many native groups of missions in southern Texas and northeastern Mexico have been displaced recently from their territory through the southward push by the Lipan Apaches and are still hostile toward Apaches, standing with the local Spanish authorities in opposition to their common foe.