[Our man in washington]

Furthermore, the Mexicans didn't really conquer much of the southwest in the first place. The Mexicans may have laid claim to Comanche territory in west Texas and eastern New Mexico, but they never settled there. They couldn't defeat the Comanches. Thus, any claim of ownership to these territories is false.

[MissAmericanPie]

That is absolutely correct, the indians tribes kept them south of the Rio Grand, Texas was all but vacant when Americans began to populate it.

[Snickersnee]

Exactly! The Mexicans actually invited Anglo settlers from trans-Appalachia to settle the area (and become "Texicans") to act as a buffer from the Comanches, who raided as far south as the suburbs of Ciudad Mexico itself. My ancestors from NC and Tenn. were among them.