After its independence from Spain in 1821, Mexico’s government found it increasingly difficult to protect and defend its vast land holdings from its capital of Mexico City. Mexicans in the frontier regions of what is today the southwestern United States were often threatened by Native American tribes who already lived there and bandits who would prey on what few citizens occupied the areas. The government recognized that a great amount of economic wealth could be had in these regions, but encouraging Mexican migration to the frontier would be difficult without expending millions on an expanded military and overextending itself into the borders, leaving Mexico City at risk for internal rebellions and outside invaders. Mexico opted to entice foreign investment in these regions with the hope of populating the frontier and sparking an economic boom—and the resultant tax revenue—while also allowing these empresarios to protect the region from Native American attacks.