CONSUMMATION OF THE INDEPENDENCE OF MEXICO: DEVELOPMENT - HISTORY - 2025

The consummation of the Independence of Mexico took place on September 27, 1821, the day that Agustín de Iturbide and the Trigarante Army entered Mexico City in triumph. Iturbide had been the head of the royal army to defeat the rebel forces.

Instead of trying to defeat them, Iturbide managed to get them to join the movement to declare the independence of Mexico under his leadership. With the support of the insurgents, Iturbide announced the Plan of Iguala on February 24, 1821, which consisted of three guarantees: independence from Spain, the same treatment for Creoles and peninsulares, and dominance of the Catholic Church.

Agustín de Iturbide

The army promised to defend the Plan of Iguala and became known as the Army of the Three Guarantees or Trigarante. Creoles and peninsulares now joined the surge of support for the plan. For the next six months, the Spanish government tried to stem the wave of independence.

However, the momentum was very great. Accompanied by the rebel leaders, Iturbide marched to Mexico City at the head of the army, marking the end of Spanish control.

Development

In 1820 the viceregal government commissioned Colonel Agustín de Iturbide to control the insurgent movement in the south, commanded by Vicente Guerrero. Iturbide was unable to achieve a quick or convincing victory, so he joined the movement first proposed by members of a social elite in Mexico City.

His plan sought to preserve the monarchy and the privileges of the Catholic Church. At the same time, it granted greater autonomy to New Spain. At the beginning of 1821 Iturbide convinced Guerrero to join forces to declare New Spain's independence.

Iguala Plan

In February, this colonel issued a formal document describing his program: the Plan of Iguala. Guerrero and a growing number of Iturbide supporters signed the plan. In July there was a realistic military coup against Viceroy Apodaca, and General Juan O'Donojú was named the main political officer of New Spain.

He met with Iturbide on the way to the capital and the two signed a peace treaty on August 24. The Treaty of Córdoba confirmed the intention of the Plan of Iguala to establish Mexico as an autonomous entity within the Spanish Empire.

Three weeks after the signing of the treaty, the consummation of the Independence of Mexico took place. Francisco Novella, commander of the contingent of the Royal Army of Mexico City, surrendered.

On September 27, 1821, on his thirty-eighth birthday, Agustín de Iturbide triumphantly marched to Mexico City at the head of an army of more than sixteen thousand soldiers.

Causes

The consummation of the Independence of Mexico was the product of a series of events that took place since the beginning of the 19th century. These include:

- Frequent interruptions of Spanish trade with its American colonies due to the Napoleonic Wars and the French Revolution.

- Extraction of greater colonial income to meet European obligations and alleviate the economic crisis in Spain.

- Confiscations of certain assets of the Church by royal decree.

- Financial crisis of the Mexican Church due to the economic recession aggravated by poor harvests.

- Napoleon's invasion of Spain in 1808 and the abdication of Fernando VII in favor of his brother José.

- Desire of the Creole elite of Mexico to have a greater role in local government.

- Economic slowdown and famine in 1810 due to political and economic instability.

Prominent figures

Agustín de Iturbide

Agustín de Iturbide was a key character in the consummation of the Independence of Mexico. In 1820, the radical independence movement started 10 years ago had almost completely died out; the main rebel leaders had been captured and executed.

Only the guerrilla bands prevented the complete victory of the royalists. These bands were under the command of General Vicente Guerrero and Iturbide had to defeat them.

However, in reaction to a liberal coup in Spain, conservatives in Mexico (formerly staunch royalists) advocated immediate independence.

Iturbide assumed command of the army, and in Iguala allied his reactionary force with the radical insurgents of Guerrero. These allied forces quickly subdued the royalists.

Vicente Guerrero

Another of the important actors in the consummation of the Independence of Mexico was Vicente Guerrero, the commander in chief of the guerrilla bands of the independence movement. In that position he made a deal with the Spanish general Agustín de Iturbide.

However, at first he did not agree with the Iguala Plan, which granted civil rights to indigenous people but not to Mexicans of African origin.

Later, clause 12, which granted the same equality to Mexicans and African mulattoes, was incorporated into the plan; then Guerrero signed the pact. After the royalist defeat, he accompanied Iturbide on his triumphal entry into Mexico City.

Juan O'Donojú

After the consummation of Mexico's Independence, the nation faced many challenges. The economy had been devastated, many had died and there were large armies without demobilizing.

Thus, amid growing economic, social, and political instability, Mexicans tried to forge a nation.

For decades the nation suffered from chronic political instability, economic stagnation, civil wars, and foreign interventions. It did not have a central power capable of exercising sovereign political authority over the entire territory of Mexico.

Therefore, successive regional or civil warlords seized power through military coups.

Between 1821 and 1855 Mexico saw 55 different presidencies, each averaging less than a year, and 35 of these were held by the military. The most notable of the 19th century caudillos, General Antonio Pérez de Santa Anna, took over the presidency on nine different occasions.

References

1. Military historical archive. Government of Mexico. (s / f). Anniversary of the "Consummation of Independence". Taken from filehistorico2010.sedena.gob.mx.
2. Kirkwood JB (2009). The History of Mexico. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO.
3. Warren, RA (2007). Vagrants and Citizens: Politics and the Masses in Mexico City from Colony to Republic. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.
4. De la Teja, JF (2010, June 15). Mexican War of Independence. Taken from tshaonline.org.
5. Encyclopædia Britannica. (2016, February 04). Agustín de Iturbide. Taken from britannica.com.
6. Rivera, A. (s / f). Guerrero, Vicente (1783-1831). Taken from blackpast.org.
7. Russell, P. (2011). The History of Mexico: From Pre-Conquest to Present. New York: Routledge.
8. Mayer, E. (2012, December 09). Mexico after independence. Taken from emayzine.com.
9. Tucker, SC (2018). The Roots and Consequences of Independence Wars: Conflicts that Changed World History. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO.