History Main / MexicoCalledTheyWantTexasBack

* In the ''Film/WildWildWest'' movie, Mexico was one of the backers of Loveless's plan in exchange for the return of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.

* In ''1920: America's Great War'', Imperial Germany defeated France in 1914 and the war never exploded into WorldWarOne. In 1920 Germany has allied itself with Mexico and a weak US government has not been able to prevent them from shipping a small army over to Mexico. With the US army undermanned and under equipped and with President Woodrow Wilson incapacitated due to a stroke, Germany and Mexico launch an invasion of the US. The Mexican army invades Texas and a German army invades California. Despite initial successes, it becomes clear that a conquest of Texas is impossible due to the logistics and the real goal of the invasion is California. With the rail road lines sabotaged and the German Navy's control of the sea, California is cut off from reinforcements and if the Germans can manage to take San Francisco they will be very hard to dislodge. The Germans assume that the US will accept the loss of California and sue for peace rather than fighting a long war of attrition to regain it.

* UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI delivered the Zimmermann Telegram, which offered to give Arizona, New Mexico and Texas to Mexico if it sided with Germany. The British decrypted the message and sent it to the U.S. before the Mexicans could even get around to responding. This was pretty much the last straw that drove the U.S. to enter the war against Germany. After actually receiving the Zimmerman Note, Mexican President Carranza had the Mexican Army's General Staff analyze it and what Germany was offering, and turned down the offer on the grounds that 1) holding and occupying the states in question would have been a nightmare; 2) German financial assistance was meaningless in that the only country capable of supplying Mexico enough arms to attack the United States was ''the United States itself!'' and 3) No German military assistance was immediately forthcoming due to Germany's own situation in Europe and Allied shipping patrols in the Atlantic. Carranza correctly concluded that the Zimmerman Note was a case of Germany saying to Mexico "LetsYouAndHimFight" in an effort to keep the U.S. out of WorldWarOne.

In 1836 the Republic of Texas [[RememberTheAlamo separated]] from its previous [[Usefulnotes/{{Mexico}} Mexican]] rule. After spending the better part of their one sovereign decade attempting to join the United States, Texas was annexed by the USA in 1845. The United States offered Texas security, stable rule, and economic survivability, as many had families in the United States and feared that Mexico had plans to strike once more at Texas, hence this trope. The United States also would protect the settlers' right to own slaves-- these settlers, first invited to Texas by the Mexican government after agreeing to follow Mexican law, balked at Mexico's ban on slavery in 1829, which these slave-owning settlers very much disagreed with. The new Texas immigrants from the United States became known as Texians while the original Hispanic locals were called Tejanos. Texas was originally granted a one-year exemption from the 1829 ban, but Mexican president Anastasio Bustamante ordered that all slaves be freed in the law of April 6th, 1830 which also prevented further emigration to Texas from the United States and increased import taxes. This law didn't stop further immigration as Americans continued to settle Texas illegally. To circumvent the law, many Anglo colonists converted their slaves into indentured servants for life. The slavery aspect is something Texans unsurprisingly tend to gloss over when discussing their state's history. After Santa Anna overthrew president Anastasio Bustamante in 1832 the Mexican government started giving concessions to Texas that included a repeal on the emigration ban, more representation to Texas, and the right to trial by jury. However, Santa Anna had other plans as he overturned the 1824 constitution in 1835 and ordered all state legislatures and militias to be disbanded. The Tejano governor of Texas refused and when Mexican authorities attempted to seize a cannon used for defense against Comanche raiders it led to the Battle of Gonzales which sparked the Texas Revolution.

* A variation is taking place in Eastern Europe. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Crimean_crisis Russia called, they want the Ukraine back...]]
** During the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, due to the fact Germany's eastern border wasn't definitively fixed, TheBonnRepublic was making the following sentence resume its policy toward the East : Germany called, they want the ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Former_eastern_territories_of_Germany Ostgebiete]]'' back.

* In ''Film/EscapeFromLA'', all of Latin America has been united under [[DirtyCommunists the Shining Path]] and is about to invade the US. Revolutionary agent Cuervo Jones kidnaps and brainwashes ThePresidentsDaughter in order to seize control of the "Sword of Damocles" EMP satellite superweapon, and plans to use it to lead off the war. [[{{Badass}} Snake Plissken]] is sent into the ruins of UsefulNotes/LosAngeles in order to retrieve the weapon and stop the invasion.

* In the comedy ''VivaMax'', the eponymous General Maximillian is driven to near insanity when the Mexican woman he has a crush on spurns him and insults his capacity as a military officer. He assumes that, naturally, the best way to impress her is to recapture the Alamo.

* ''TheWarAgainstTheChtorr''. Southern Mexico provides staging areas for an "Army of Economic Liberation" to invade an ostensibly demilitarised United States. The invaders get their ass handed to them due to [[RobotWar secret technology]] the US has been hiding. When Mexico subsequently collapses, many other nations think it's not a coincidence.
* Inverted in ''ItCantHappenHere''. The Windrip regime invades Mexico as a means of spreading its empire and encouraging patriotism among the masses. Played with in that the regime falsely claims Mexico attacked America as justification for the war.
* Most of the Western Realm of the Kingdom of the Isles in the ''RiftwarCycle'' was originally Keshian territory that the Kingdom annexed while Kesh had the bulk of their armies fighting a war on the opposite side of the empire. In several of the novels (Which take place 3-5 ''centuries'' after this had happened) various factions of the Keshian military try to take it back.

* ''{{Twilight2000}}''. After the Soviet nuclear attack on the U.S. in 1998, Mexico invaded the southern U.S.
** Its spiritual sequel ''TwentyThreeHundredAD'' had Mexico still holding Los Angeles, Arizona, and New Mexico, but not Texas.
* Inverted in ''{{GURPS}} Cyberworld'': the US occupies much of Mexico (though there are still border controls in place to keep Mexican third-class citizens from traveling to the "Upper 48").

* The above picture comes from an ad for Swedish Vodka that only ran in Mexico. To say that there was [[InternetBackdraft a bit of backlash]] when it was leaked into the USA is putting it mildly.

In 1836 the Republic of Texas [[RememberTheAlamo separated]] from its previous [[Usefulnotes/{{Mexico}} Mexican]] rule. After spending the better part of their one sovereign decade attempting to join the United States, Texas was annexed by the USA in 1845. The United States offered Texas security, stable rule, and economic survivability, as many had families in the United States and feared that Mexico had plans to strike once more at Texas, hence this trope. The United States also would protect the settlers' right to own slaves-- these settlers, first invited to Texas by the Mexican government after agreeing to follow Mexican law, balked at Mexico's ban on slavery in 1829, which these slave-owning settlers very much disagreed with. Texas was originally granted a one-year exemption from the 1829 ban, but Mexican president Anastasio Bustamante ordered that all slaves be freed in 1830. To circumvent the law, many Anglo colonists converted their slaves into indentured servants for life. The slavery aspect is something Texans unsurprisingly tend to gloss over when discussing their state's history.

** During the ColdWar, due to the fact Germany's eastern border wasn't definitively fixed, TheBonnRepublic was making the following sentence resume its policy toward the East : Germany called, they want the ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Former_eastern_territories_of_Germany Ostgebiete]]'' back.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Friedman George Friedman]], in his novel ''The Next 100 Years'', details his very broad political predictions for the 21st century and states that Mexico will at least attempt this by 2100, due to Mexico's likely stabilization (he points out China has been in chaos in the recent past and overcome that chaos), its population growth and the US population decline.

See also DividedStatesOfAmerica.

* ''{{Twilight2000}}''. After the Soviet nuclear attack on the U.S., Mexico invaded the southern U.S.
** Its spiritual sequel ''{{2300AD}}'' had Mexico still holding Los Angeles.

* Most of the brief history of the Republic of Texas involved fending off various attempts by the Mexican government to retake Texas, including a number of land invasions and naval battles (including a brief alliance between the Republic of Texas and the Republic of Yucatan, another state which had seceeded from Mexico). This period of conflict lead directly into the Mexican-American War after the expanding United States finally agreed to annex Texas.

* The above picture comes from an ad for Swedish Vodka that only ran in Mexico. That there was [[InternetBackdraft a backlash]] when it was leaked into the USA is putting it mildly.

* A most recent example: In 2006 after losing the presidential election of Mexico, former candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, submitted a lawsuit against the U.S. to the International Court of Justice in Hague, demanding the return of the California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Texas territories to Mexico, alongside with reparations for the Mexican-American war. It's unlikely it will prosper, but still...

* A most recent example: In 2006 after losing the presidential election of Mexico, former candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, submitted a lawsuit against the U.S. to the International Court of Justice in Hague, demanding the return of the California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Texas territories to Mexico, alongside with reparations for the Mexican-American war.

* In 2006 after loosing the presidential election of Mexico, former candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, submitted a lawsuit against the U.S. to the International Court of Justice in Hague, demanding the return of the California, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Texas territories to Mexico, alongside with reparations for the Mexican-American war.

** Odd, since it's a NonIndicativeName as the region usually referred to (the Mexican Cession) was never settled by Aztecs. "Aztlan" refers to the mythical homeland where they are said to have lived prior to migrating to Tenochtitlán (present-day Mexico City) - most scholars place Aztlan even further south than that.
* UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI delivered the Zimmermann Telegram, which offered to give Arizona, New Mexico and Texas to Mexico if it sided with Germany. The British decrypted the message and sent it to the U.S. before the Mexicans could even get around to responding. This was pretty much the last straw that drove the U.S. to enter the war against Germany. Because Mexico was in the middle of a [[UsefulNotes/TheMexicanRevolution revolution]], it probably wouldn't have been interested anyway.
** Mexican President Carranza actually had the Mexican Army's General Staff analyze the Zimmerman Note and what Germany was offering, and turned down the offer on the grounds that 1) holding and occupying the states in question would have been a nightmare; 2) German financial assistance was meaningless in that the only country capable of supplying Mexico enough arms to attack the United States was ''the United States itself!'' and 3) No German military assistance was immediately forthcoming due to Germany's own situation in Europe and Allied shipping patrols in the Atlantic. Carranza correctly concluded that the Zimmerman Note was a case of Germany saying to Mexico "LetsYouAndHimFight" in an effort to keep the U.S. out of WorldWarOne.
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Friedman George Friedman]], in his novel ''The Next 100 Years'', details his very broad political predictions for the 21st century and states that Mexico will at least attempt this by 2100, due to Mexico's likely stabilization (he points out China has been in chaos in the recent past and overcome that chaos), its population growth and the US population decline.
* This may become a moot point if the United States, Mexico, [[AndZoidberg and Canada]] continue their economic integration and extend it into the political sphere. Some people even envision a common economy and currency (the "amero"; though given the near-identical value of the US and Canadian dollars, and the Mexican peso[[note]]While not a literal translation, peso is also the Spanish word for dollar.[[/note]] being worth roughly an eighth of either dollar, some advocates say they should just be merged as the "North American dollar"), and open borders based on the EU model. However, there are substantial sentiments in all three countries ''against'' further integration, and the Drug War, the HUGE debt of the U.S. that would be passed on mostly debt-free countries, along with the terrible paying habits of U.S. that would generate even more debt and the underdeveloped economy (and lawless areas controlled by the heavily-armed drug cartels) of Mexico are bigger obstacles.
* Inverted by [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/51st_state#Mexico the suggestion]] that Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo León would be on the shortlist of Mexican states to join the U.S., being closer to [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Texas]] than the rest of Mexico.
** As recently as the 1980s the annexation of Baja California was proposed as a means of alleviating Mexico's foreign debt owed to the United States.

Thus, whenever in speculative fiction you see the United States somehow greatly weakened, or in the past before the USA became a superpower, you can pretty much be assured the back story will involve Mexico conquering at least Texas and California. This is particularly ironic, because Mexico's economy is barely larger than Texas and not even as large as California's; in fact should Mexico hypothetically succeed this very moment in recovering just these two states, the Mexican economy would practically ''triple'' its size. But then again, [[EverythingIsBigInTexas it IS Texas]].

* ''[[Series/ChaseNBC Chase]]'': In the episode Repo the criminal they are chasing is a believes that America stole the territory and doesn't believe in the authority of the police, making comments about it to most people he meets.

* ''Series/{{Revolution}}'': InvertedTrope, where Texas broke from the US and then proceeded to take over Mexico. This is shown on a map in "[[Recap/RevolutionS1E5SoulTrain Soul Train]]".

* In ''Tom Clancy's HAWX'', the title squadron flies to Ciudad Juarez due to Mexican rebels going into the United States to escape retribution from government forces.

* The above picture comes from an ad for Swedish Vodka that only ran in Mexico. That there was [[InternetBackdraft a backlash]] when it was leaked into the USA is putting it mildly. This [[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,346964,00.html news article]] will explain better anything about the ad and the controversy.

* In the comedy ''VivaMax'', the title General Maximillian is driven to near insanity when the Mexican woman he has a crush on spurns him and insults his capacity as a military officer. He assumes that, naturally, the best way to impress her is to recapture the Alamo.

* ''{{Sliders}}'': One episode featured a world where Mexico decides to take back Texas and California (possibly others as well). They get quickly thrown out of Texas, however, since "every Texas citizen owns a gun", but California cities turn into war zones.

* ImperialGermany during WorldWarOne delivered the Zimmermann Telegram, which offered to give Arizona, New Mexico and Texas to Mexico if it sided with Germany. The British decrypted the message and sent it to the U.S. before the Mexicans could even get around to responding. This was pretty much the last straw that drove the U.S. to enter the war against Germany. Because Mexico was in the middle of a [[MexicanRevolution revolution]], it probably wouldn't have been interested anyway.

[[folder: Anime and Manga]]
* In ''MuvLuvAlternativeTotalEclipse'', the Soviet Union rents half of Alaska back from the US after most of Eurasia has been taken over by the BETA.
[[/folder]]