Thornton Affair
Arista's forces engage American troops in the clash that helps trigger formal war
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1846 in Mexico
Explore 11 historical events and records for Mexico in 1846.
Historical records for Mexico in 1846
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 11 of 11 unique records.
11Unique records
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11Named events on this page
5Named people on this page
7Places on this page
April
May
Battle of Palo Alto
Arista is defeated by Taylor at the Battle of Palo Alto
Battle of Resaca de la Palma
Arista's army is defeated and retreats after the Battle of Resaca de la Palma
Declaration of War
Paredes presides over Mexico as war with the United States begins
July
California Campaign
Castro resists American occupation during the opening stage of the California campaign
August
Capture of Santa Fe
Armijo withdraws before Kearny enters Santa Fe
September
Battle of Monterrey
Ampudia surrenders Monterrey after hard urban fighting against Taylor's army
Other events (month unknown)
Ampudia Negotiates Monterrey Capitulation
After hard street fighting Mexican commander Pedro de Ampudia negotiated the surrender of Monterrey.
Armijo Withdraws From Santa Fe
Governor Manuel Armijo withdrew rather than fight Kearny's advancing army at Santa Fe.
Castro Leads Californio Resistance
General Jose Maria Castro opposed the American occupation as control of California shifted during the 1846 campaign.
Mexican Cavalry Attacks Thornton Patrol
Mexican cavalry engaged the American reconnaissance party led by Seth Thornton on 25 April, providing a catalyst for war.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.