JUAN ÁLVAREZ HURTADO: BIOGRAPHY AND CONTRIBUTIONS - HISTORY - 2025

Juan Álvarez Hurtado (1790 - 1876) was a Mexican military and politician who played a leading role both in the War of Independence and in subsequent decades. He was born in Atoyac, which would later be renamed Ciudad Álvarez in his honor, given the achievements he achieved during his life.

As a military man, he is recognized for his struggles during Independence, a cause he joined after meeting Jose María Morelos. Likewise, he was in charge of carrying out the capture of Acapulco following what is known as the Plan of Iguala.

After independence, he fought the Emperor Iturbide, not agreeing with his way of leading the country. Years later, he would also participate in the uprising that would end the presidency of Santa Anna.

Apart from this, he fought the French during the Cake War and the Americans in the conflict of 1847.

As for his political activity, he reached the presidency of Mexico after getting Santa Anna to leave power. He was only in office for 2 months, but they were enough to leave his mark and the so-called Reform Laws.

Childhood and first years in the army

Juan Nepomuceno Álvarez Hurtado, the full name of the Mexican military man, was born on January 27, 1790, into a wealthy family. This allowed him to go to study the primary stage in Mexico City.

He would not return to Atoyac until he was 17 years old to find an unpleasant surprise. Álvarez Hurtado hoped to receive his inheritance, which was quite copious. However, his tutor not only did not give it to him, but had him work in almost slave conditions on his own farm.

It would not be until he was 20 years old, when he took advantage of Morelos' passage through the area to leave that life behind. Thus, in 1810, he joined the troops fighting for the Independence of Mexico.

Álvarez Hurtado in the War of Independence

Little by little, he was gaining prestige for his work in the army that sought independence. He emphasized his role in the battles of El Aguatillo and La Sabana, as well as in the capture of Tixtla.

When his first mentor, Morelos, was shot, he joined the troops of Vicente Guerrero, who had started a guerrilla war against the royalist partisans. Álvarez not only participated in the war, but also contributed men, weapons, and money. For this reason, the Government of the Viceroyalty confiscated all their lands and possessions.

Already in 1821, with the Plan of Iguala that declared independence, he was entrusted to take Acapulco, still in the hands of the royalists. Having achieved this, he was appointed head of the Military Command of that city, remaining in office until 1823.

Federalist ideas and clashes with Iturbide and Santa Anna

Álvarez's ideas would soon clash with the form of government that Agustín de Iturbide intended to establish. Faced with the monarchy that Iturbide wanted, he supported the creation of a Federal Republic, so he tried to get Vicente Guerrero to power. However, he could not prevent him from being killed.

Faced with the actions of the government, led by the Iturbide who had proclaimed himself emperor, Álvarez fought against him, trying to change the regime. That fight would continue later, against the government of Anastasio Bustamante.

War of the Cakes and with the United States

This enmity with the country's government did not prevent Álvarez from fighting against the French intervention in 1838. Known as the War of the Cakes, it was an attempt by the European power to obtain economic privileges.

He also participated years later in the armed confrontation between Mexico and its northern neighbors, always eager to expand their territory and with their sights already set on Texas.

The Mexican government was under the presidency of Santa Anna who accused Álvarez of having made many mistakes in the battle of Molino del Rey and ordered him to withdraw the troops.

Political life

Despite this setback, it can be considered that Álvarez began his political career being very popular among his citizens. In fact, faithful to his federalist ideas, he succeeded in creating the State of Guerrero in 1849.

At first, he served as temporary governor, until the first elections were held. These confirmed him in office, for which he became the first constitutional president of the state.

From the beginning he developed a liberal policy, which contrasted with the authoritarianism and conservatism of the central government. This led to him, in 1954, being one of the leaders of the movement that would overthrow Santa Anna.

Ayutla Plan

Discontent with Santa Anna led several soldiers to draw up a plan to overthrow him. The first meeting of these was held in 1854, in the State of Guerrero. The call came from Florencio Villareal and among those called were Álvarez Hurtado and Ignacio Comonfort.

The result of the meeting was embodied in the so-called Ayutla Plan, in which the main objectives were declared the end of the presidency of Santa Anna, that his successor be elected by representatives of the states and convene a Congress to create a representative Republic.

Santa Anna tried to stop the insurrection, sending a great army to Acapulco. However, he did not achieve his goal, so he had to return to the capital. There, trying to stay in power, he called a plebiscite, so that the population could give their opinion about who should exercise the presidency.

The result was not what I expected: the chosen name was Álvarez. Santa Anna did not respect what had come out in the vote and the rebellion spread to more states.

A year later, faced with the evidence that he had no support, Santa Anna abdicated. At the peace conference that followed, Álvarez was named President of the Republic.

Presidency

The presidential term was very short, by choice. Only two months that served him to carry out several reforms destined to change the country.

Basically, they can be summarized in two different laws, called the Juárez Law: he summoned Congress in order to write a new Constitution (the one of 1857) and abolished the fueros, both ecclesiastical and military.

After this, he left the presidency, then assumed by Comonfort, and returned to Guerrero.

Last service to the country

Despite his age and some health problems, Álvarez Hurtado still had time to return to fight for his country and his ideas. In this way, he participated in the fight against the French in his second intervention in Mexico. He even replaced Benito Juárez on occasions.

Very shortly after Maximilian's Empire was defeated by Mexican forces, Álvarez died in Acapulco. It was on August 21, 1867, being the last of the fighters for Independence to die.

References

1. EcuRed. Juan Alvarez. Obtained from ecured.cu
2. The Tireless. Juan Nepomuceno Álvarez Hurtado Mexican military and politician, President of the Republic (1855), Morelos Mexico. Obtained from elincansable.wordpress.com

3. Presidents.mx. Juan N. Álvarez. Obtained from presidents.mx
4. Didactic Encyclopedia. BIOGRAPHY OF JUAN ALVAREZ - JUAN ÁLVAREZ BENÍTEZ. Obtained from edukalife.blogspot.com.es

5. The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. Juan Alvarez. Retrieved from britannica.com
6. Historical Text. Alvarez, Juan N.: Federalist, Revolutionary, and Liberator. Retrieved from historicaltextarchive.com
7. Minster, Christopher. Biography of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Retrieved from thoughtco.com
8. The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. Equal Plan. Retrieved from britannica.com