Background
Having recently attained Independence from Spain in 1821, Mexico was fraught with internal struggles that verged on civil war, however it was relatively united in refusing to recognize the independence of Texas. Mexico threatened war with the U.S. if it annexed Texas. Meanwhile, President Polk's spirit of Manifest Destiny was focusing U.S. interest on westward expansion.
The military and diplomatic capabilities of Mexico declined after it attained independence and left the northern one-half of the country vulnerable to the Comanche, Apache, and Navajo Indians. The Indians, especially the Comanche, took advantage of Mexico's weakness to undertake large-scale raids hundreds of miles deep into the country to steal livestock for their own use and to supply an expanding market in Texas and the United States. The Mexicans believed that Americans were facilitating and benefiting from the raids.
The Indian raids left thousands of people dead and devastated northern Mexico. When American troops invaded northern Mexico in 1846 they found a demoralized people. There was little resistance to the Americans from the civilian population. (See: Comanche-Mexico Wars and Apache-Mexico Wars)
Read more about this topic: Mexican–American War
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