ANTONIO LÓPEZ DE SANTA ANNA: BIOGRAPHY, GOVERNMENT AND CONTRIBUTIONS - HISTORY - 2025

Antonio López de Santa Anna (1794-1876) was a Mexican military and politician whose figure marked the first decades after the country's independence. He began his military career fighting the insurgents who were fighting against the colonial authorities, but in 1821, when Agustín de Iturbide launched the Plan of Iguala, Santa Anna joined the independence cause.

Historians point out that these changes in position were one of the characteristics of Santa Anna. For thirty years, he allied himself with all existing camps, from the federalists to the centralist conservatives.

Antonio López de Santa Anna - Source:]

His first presidential term began in 1833, when, after a series of military uprisings, he replaced Gómez Pedraza in office. Most sources claim that he served as president eleven times, but the National Institute for Historical Studies reduces the number to six.

Santa Anna instituted authoritarian governments, annulling a good part of civil rights. Her commitment to centralism was one of the causes, although not the only one, of the Independence of Texas. Likewise, during its period of influence, Mexico lost a large part of its territory to the United States.

Biography

Antonio López de Santa Anna became the most important figure in Mexican politics between 1821 and 1855. At times he held the presidency of the country himself and, at other times, his influence was fundamental.

Early years

Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón, full name of the politician, was born in Jalapa on February 21, 1794. His father was the deputy delegate of the Province of Antigua, while his mother was a housewife.

Being of aristocratic origin and with Spanish ancestry, Santa Anna was destined for a wealthy life. However, at age 16 he joined the Royal Army of New Spain, contrary to his father's wishes. His first assignment, as a cadet, was in Veracruz.

War of independence

In 1810, Miguel Hidalgo called to arms against the colonial government, beginning the War of Independence. The following year, Santa Anna was mobilized to fight the insurgents.

Santa Anna's first military experiences took place in Nuevo Santander and in Texas. During those years of war, the military remained faithful to the royalist cause. In the early 1920s, it seemed that the independentistas had been defeated.

The beginning of the so-called liberal triennium in Spain turned the situation around. The conservatives of New Spain did not want liberal influence to reach their territory and promoted an alternative of their own. His candidate to govern Mexico was Agustín de Iturbide.

Iturbide had been sent to fight Vicente Guerrero, the independence leader who resisted the royalists. However, what he ended up doing is proclaiming the Plan of Iguala and reaching an agreement with Guerrero. Thanks to this, he formed the Trigarante Army to fight for an independent Mexico under a monarchical and conservative regime.

Santa Anna joined the Plan of Iguala and became part of the Trigarante. According to historians, that support was the beginning of her political career.

First Mexican Empire

Iturbide, at the head of the Trigarante Army, entered the Mexican capital in September 1821. Having consolidated his victory, he declared independence and formed a provisional government.

Although, in principle, the chosen monarch had to be Fernando VII of Spain himself or a Spanish infant, their refusal caused Iturbide to be declared Emperor. For his part, Santa Anna was appointed General Commander of the province of Veracruz.

The political situation was very tense. The republicans did not accept the appointment of Iturbide, like the monarchists in favor of the Bourbons. In the end, the emperor dissolved Congress and replaced it with 45 deputies elected directly by him.

Plan of Veracruz and Plan of Casemate

At first, Santa Anna remained faithful to Iturbide from his position in Veracruz. However, he soon changed his position.

The cause of this change is not entirely clear. Some historians point out that the reason was the dissolution of Congress, while others point to the problems that Santa Anna had in his position as Commander.

The truth is that, on December 2, 1822, Santa Anna launched the Plan of Veracruz, by which he did not know Iturbide and declared himself a supporter of the republic and Guadalupe Victoria.

After making the plan public, Santa Anna took up arms against the government, but the first battles ended in defeats. This caused that it had to look for allies. To search for them, he launched another Plan, that of Casemate, on February 1, 1823.

Soon he got the support of heroes of the War of Independence, such as Vicente Guerrero or Bravo. In the same way, some soldiers joined his cause, highlighting José Antonio Echávarri, who, curiously, had been sent to finish off Santa Anna.

Republic

Along with his allies, Antonio López de Santa Anna managed to overthrow Iturbide. After this, Mexico became a Federal Republic, a process that culminated with the election in 1824 of Guadalupe Victoria as president.

Armed uprisings

The first years of the Republic were shaken by continuous armed uprisings. Santa Anna managed to take advantage of the instability, carving out a great influence.

Thus, Santa Anna supported the government when the 1827 uprisings occurred, despite the fact that his brother was among the rebels. Thanks to this, the government of Veracruz succeeded.

The following year, the 1828 elections ended with the victory of Gómez Pedraza and Santa Anna reacted by rebelling against him and demanding that he be replaced by Guerrero. Upon achieving his goal, the new president put him in charge of the national army.

Spanish expedition

Santa Anna increased his prestige when he managed to stop the Spanish in their attempt to reconquer Mexico. The military man managed to defeat the Spanish general Isidro Barradas in the Battle of Tampico, for which he received the title of hero of the homeland.

In the political sphere, the situation in the country continued just as turbulent. Guerrero was overthrown by arms by Anastasio Bustamante, prompting a reaction from Santa Anna.

Thus, he proceeded to agree with Gómez Pedraza to return to the presidency through a new uprising. Interestingly, it was the same president that Santa Anna had overthrown a few years earlier.

The influence that Santa Anna reached during those years can be seen in the following quote, which runs through his various political movements:

“In 1828 he opposed the election of Manuel Gómez Pedraza as successor to President Guadalupe Victoria (1824-1829) and appointed Vicente Guerrero to the presidency (April-December 1829).

He then helped the vice president of Guerrero, Anastasio Bustamante, to take over the presidency (1830-1832) and then negotiated his resignation in favor of the candidate he had opposed four years before, Manuel Gómez Pedraza (1832-1833) ”.

First presidency

After the mandate of Gómez Pedraza, Santa Anna assumed, for the first time, the presidency of the country. In fact, between that year and 1835, he gave up the position and took it up again four times.

As president, Santa Anna began by relying on the federalists and let his vice president, Gómez Farías, develop a series of liberal measures. However, later he went on to ally himself with conservative defenders of a centralist regime.

Santa Anna, with a greater affinity for this sector, suppressed federalism in 1835, harshly repressing its supporters.

Texas Independence

Although the tensions with Texas came from the time of the Viceroyalty, with great influence from the economy, the establishment of centralism was one of the reasons why hostilities broke out with the Texas independentists, mostly Anglo-Saxon.

They asked to return to the federal constitution of 1824, without Santa Anna meeting their demands. Faced with this, the rebellion broke out, supported by the United States. The Mexican president responded by sending troops.

At the head of them, Santa Anna obtained a great victory at El Álamo (March 1836), although shortly after he was defeated and taken prisoner in San Jacinto.

To be released, he had to accept the independence of Texas, although the Mexican government did not recognize the validity of that agreement. Upon returning to Veracruz, Santa Anna had lost much of his popularity, as well as the presidency of the country.

Cakes war

A new armed conflict gave Santa Anna the possibility of returning to the front line of politics. In 1838, France attacked Mexico over a series of economic claims neglected by the Mexican government.

Santa Anna was sent to Veracruz to contain the European troops. There, the military man lost a leg during the confrontation, which made him regain his status as a national hero.

Taking advantage of this fame, Santa Anna returned to assume the presidency for a few months in 1839, replacing an absent Anastasio Bustamante.

Two years later, when Bustamante was overthrown by an insurrection, the Junta de Notables created reappointed him president. For a year, Santa Anna established an authoritarian and repressive government, without reacting to Yucatán's declaration of independence. In addition, it plunged the country into a major economic crisis.

His political performance was on the verge of provoking a massive uprising. To avoid this, he applied for a license in 1842, although the following year he returned to office. It was then that he approved the Bases of Political Organization of the Mexican Republic, regulations very favorable to the Church and conservatives.

Exile

In 1834, the United States proposed the incorporation of Texas into its territory. Santa Anna tried to ignore the problem and asked to retire from the presidency. The excuse was the death of his wife.

However, just forty days after being widowed, Santa Anna remarried. The scandal, motivated by the falsity of the excuse used, caused him to go into exile, heading to Havana.

Mexican-American War

The war between Mexico and the United States broke out in 1846. Santa Anna was in Cuba, in exile, but his presence was requested by President Gómez Farías to collaborate in the defense of the country. During the conflict, he would occupy the presidency in two short terms.

Historians claim that Santa Anna steadfastly refused to negotiate with the Americans, despite the Mexican military inferiority. Defeats followed and the invasion of the country developed rapidly.

Finally, Mexico lost the war and Santa Anna was, again, sent into exile. The Guadalupe-Hidalgo Treaty, between the two opposing countries, caused the United States to annex the states of Alta California and New Mexico. The only compensation was the payment of a compensation of 15 million dollars.

Your Serene Highness

Mexico again suffered a period of instability in the following years. The crisis ended up causing the fall of President Mariano Arista in 1854. The Conservative Party, triumphant in the last elections held, called on Santa Anna to return to the country from her Colombian exile.

Conservatives considered that Santa Anna was the only one capable of governing the country and stabilizing the situation. In the letter sent on March 23, 1853, they only asked him to defend the religion and to reorganize the country and the army territorially. In April of six years, Santa Anna resumed the presidency.

The first months of government were quite effective. The death of his main collaborator, Lucas Alamán, gave a turn to the work of Santa Anna. Little by little, it degenerated into a dictatorship, calling itself "Serene Highness."

During his tenure, Santa Anna had to deal with a delicate economic situation. To try to solve the crisis, he created taxes on things like having dogs or windows. Likewise, it decided to sell the territory of La Mesilla to the United States in exchange for 10 million dollars.

Accusations of corruption were constant, with evidence of having diverted public money into his pockets.

Ayutla Plan

Fed up with the Santa Anna dictatorship caused several liberal politicians to proclaim the Ayutla Plan in 1854. Through this Plan, they ignored the government and sought to return to democracy. The success of this widespread uprising ended Santa Anna's political life forever despite the military resistance he put up.

The rest of his life was spent in exile, living in various places: Cuba, the United States, Colombia or Santo Tomás, among others. Her articles in the press on Mexican politics received very little attention in the country.

Santa Anna tried to launch a rebellion against the new liberal government, although without success. Likewise, he offered himself to the government to return to fight during the Second Intervention. His offer was ignored.

Lastly, he also wrote to Emperor Maximilian I, during the Second Mexican Empire, to put himself at his service. The answer was negative again.

Death

It was not until 1874, after the general amnesty decreed by President Lerdo de Tejada, that Santa Anna was able to return to Mexico. At that time he was 80 years old and his health was beginning to fail.

On June 21, 1876, Antonio López de Santa Anna died in Mexico City.

Characteristics of his government

It is difficult to find general characteristics of the different governments of Santa Anna. His frequent changes, going from supporting liberal reforms to pushing completely opposite laws, make his trajectory seem erratic.

In general, despite these changes, experts consider Santa Anna a conservative, although many of them use the expression demagogue or populist.

Central government

Although he began governing with the liberal federalists, Santa Anna opted for the centralist system of territorial organization.

During his first government, he allowed his vice president, Gómez Farías, to implement liberal measures, contrary, many of them, to the Catholic Church. However, at the request of the conservatives, Santa Anna gave a complete turn to his government.

Thus, he formed a new conservative cabinet and proceeded to repeal the Constitution of 1824. Instead, he approved a new Magna Carta in 1836, known as "The Seven Constitutional Laws." In this, he reformed the federal system and centralized the administration.

Authoritarianism

All the governments of Santa Anna ended up becoming personal dictatorships. In his first term, this happened after reforming the Constitution and centralizing power. The president dissolved Congress and went on to rule autocratically.

Something similar happened when Bustamante was ousted from office. On this occasion, according to experts, the Santa Anna government was even more dictatorial. Among the measures taken was the closure of newspapers and the imprisonment of opponents.

When in April 1835, called by the Conservatives, he returned to the presidency, his authoritarianism had increased. He called himself "Serene Highness" and rumor spread that he intended to create a monarchy.

Poor economic management

Historians blame their governments for squandering money, often spent on personal luxuries. It is true, however, that Santa Anna always found the country in a situation of near bankruptcy, but his measures only worsened the situation, in addition to being accused of corruption.

His attempt to raise taxes after the war against the French sparked discontent throughout the country. The unfavorable climate increased so much that Yucatán and Nuevo Laredo declared their independence.

In his last dictatorship, taxes again created situations of tension. Santa Anna, seeking more income, forced to pay for the dogs or the windows, among other everyday items.

Loss of territories

On two different occasions, Santa Anna had to face the danger of territorial disintegration of the country. In both, he failed in his attempt to prevent it from happening.

The first time was in 1836, when Texas declared its independence. Santa Anna himself took command of the troops, but ended up as a prisoner and signing the independence agreement.

More serious was the second of the territorial crises. After the war against the United States, Mexico lost almost 50% of its territory.

Finally, he was the protagonist of the event known as the Sale of the Table. It was an agreement between Mexico and the United States, signed in June 1853, by which the former sold a small part of its territory, the Mesilla, to the Americans in exchange for 10,000,000 dollars.

Contributions to Mexico

Santa Anna's legacy, for better or for worse, marked an era in Mexico's history. Despite his mistakes and authoritarianism, the first decades after independence cannot be understood without his figure.

Hero of Tampico

Antonio López de Santa Anna became the hero of Tampico after defeating the Spanish there.

Spain had sent an expedition, under the command of Isidro Barradas, to try to reconquer its old colony in 1829. The work of Santa Anna, and other soldiers, was essential to prevent it.

Seven laws

At the legislative level, Santa Anna's most important contribution was the approval of the Constitutional Laws of the Mexican Republic, the name given to the Constitution of 1836. Although the text was signed by the interim President José Justo Corro, it was Santa Anna who really boosted your content.

Apart from its centralist character, the new Constitution maintained the division of powers, something that the conservatives who supported Santa Anna did not want.

One of the novelties was the creation of a fourth power, called the Supreme Conservative Power. This consisted of five citizens who had held positions such as the presidency, vice-presidency, or have been senators, deputies or ministers of the Court. This power had the function of regulating the actions of the rest of the powers.

Defense of Veracruz against the French

The French attack on Mexico, in what is known as the War of the Cakes, forced the government to call on Santa Anna to lead its troops.

The general set out to defend Veracruz and faced a column of 1000 men led by Charles Baudin. The battle did not end with any victor, since neither side managed to push back the other.

Santa Anna lost his leg during the fighting and finally ordered the evacuation of the port to safeguard the population.

Although many experts criticize the tactic employed by Santa Anna, this action earned him to regain some of the popularity lost after the independence of Texas.

Strength to rule the country

Although the figure of Santa Anna received, and continues to receive, much criticism for his authoritarianism and for the mistakes made, coming to be branded a traitor, experts acknowledge that, on some occasions, he was the only one capable of governing the country.

The instability of Mexico after independence, with continuous armed uprisings, made Santa Anna, with his charisma and strength, the solution when it came to governing. However, the problem arose when those same characteristics ended up provoking a reaction that once again destabilized political life.

References

1. Biographies and Lives. Antonio López de Santa Anna. Obtained from biografiasyvidas.com
2. De la Torre, Ernesto. Antonio López de Santa Anna. Recovered from historicas.unam.mx
3. González Lezama, Raúl. The dictatorship. The last government of Antonio López de Santa Anna. Obtained from inehrm.gob.mx
4. Biography. Antonio López de Santa Anna. Retrieved from biography.com
5. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Antonio López de Santa Anna. Retrieved from britannica.com
6. Minster, Christopher. Biography of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Retrieved from thoughtco.com
7. New World Encyclopedia. Antonio López de Santa Anna. Retrieved from newworldencyclopedia.org
8. Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture. Santa Anna, Antonio López De (1794–1876). Retrieved from encyclopedia.com