El Grán México | What if a fictional Mexican general named Bernardo González became dictator of Mexico in 1824?

Mexico had attempted to suppress the Texan Republic, but was defeated at the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, forcing Bernardo González to dodge the question of Texas until the United States annexed it in 1845.

When America annexed Texas, the Mexican government refused to recognize the annexation, viewing it as illegal, and prepared to defend its territory from the "Anglo-Saxon menace". In a January 1846 speech to his soldiers, González said:

"Sons of Mexico! Fear not death or suffering at the hands of Anglo-Saxon forces, because Our Lady of Guadalupe is with us. We have the strength, the will, and the resources to fight off the enemy and defend the territory God gave to Mexico. Long live the Fatherland!"

On 25 April 1846, the United States under President Polk declared war on Mexico, occupying the city of Santa Fe and trying to march on Upper California. In June, the latter advance was crushed by Mexican troops in Sacramento, turning the tide of the war in favour of Mexico.

Shortly after the beginning of the war, the US Navy sailed all the way around Cape Horn near Antarctica in order to blockade Mexico, but this long voyage proved to be disastrous, and the Pacific Squadron was decisively defeated near Mexicali. On 9 March 1847, American troops landed in Veracruz, González's birthplace, but their effort was crushed within a week, bringing the US government to the negotiating table.

The Treaty of Gonzalopolis, signed on 28 March 1847, required the United States to recognize Mexican sovereignty over Texas and pay Mexico $35 million. The Mexican victory shifted the balance of power in South America.