On January 31, 1827, the newly revised version of Article 13 was read before the Congress: “In the state no one is born a slave and six months after the publication of this constitution in each center of the state the introduction of slaves will not be permitted under any pretext.”55 The revisions represented a significant shift from the article’s original thrust, in that it no longer promised to free slaves already present in northeastern Mexico. It would, however, end the importation of slaves following a six-month period, and promised freedom upon birth to the children of enslaved parents.
