LORENZO DE ZAVALA: BIOGRAPHY AND POLITICAL CAREER - ARTE - 2025

Lorenzo de Zavala (1788-1836) was a Mexican politician and historian who held different positions throughout his career. He was a deputy for Yucatán in the Spanish Courts in Madrid, Mexican Secretary of the Treasury, Mexican Ambassador to France, and Senator and Governor of the State of Mexico.

In 1829, when the government of Mexico was overthrown, Zavala was forced into exile and moved to the United States for three years. There he wrote a book on the political culture of the United States and also traveled throughout Europe, always being well received by foreign governments thanks to his diplomatic experience and his linguistic knowledge.

Lorenzo de Zavala., via Wikimedia Commons

Lorenzo de Zavala actively intervened in the Mexican War of Independence and was recognized by the people as one of the famous San Juanistas. These were a group of characters from Mexican Creole society, so called because they met in the Church of San Juan in the city of Mérida, the capital of the state of Yucatán.

Some Mexicans consider Zavala a traitor to his homeland for supporting Texas independence, while Texans consider him a founding father and hero of the state.

In modern Texas, there is a county and city named after him, as well as many schools and public buildings, such as the Lorenzo de Zavala State Archives and Library Building in Austin.

Biography

Early years

Lorenzo Justiniano de Zavala y Sáenz was born on October 3, 1788 in Tecoh, Yucatán. His parents, Anastasio de Zavala y Velásquez and María Bárbara Sáenz, were Creoles of Basque descent. Lorenzo was a third generation Yucatecan.

He was educated in Mérida, at the San Ildefonso Conciliar Seminary, where he studied Latin, philosophy and theology. After graduation, he founded a newspaper called El Aristarco Universal.

He also wrote numerous writings in which he advocated democratic reforms, which led to him being imprisoned by the Spanish crown. During his incarceration he studied medicine and, after his release, he practiced as a doctor for two years before entering politics.

Zavala was influenced by the liberal ideas of the French Enlightenment, which opened his mind to horizons in search of the freedom of Mexico, which by then was ruled by the Spanish crown.

Later, he joined the San Juanistas group and was also part of the Patriotic Confederation. However, considering conspiratorial movements and traitors of the Spanish crown, he was imprisoned for 3 years.

During his confinement he studied medicine and English. In 1820, when he returned from his confinement, he founded the newspaper El Hispano -americano and, by 1824, he had the honor of writing the preliminary speech of the Constitution.

Influence of Freemasonry

Lorenzo de Zavala was one of the founders of the York Rite. There he established friendships linked to the Masonic world such as Joel Roberts Poinsett (first US ambassador to Mexico), José Miguel Ramos Arizpe or Vicente Guerrero.

They participated in the Mexican political system influenced by the Yorkine lodge and around 1925 they founded the Mexican National Rite. Lorenzo de Zavala named as the Grand Master of the York Rite.

Personal life

In 1807 Zavala married María Josefa de la Ascención Correa y Correa. They had three children: María Manuela, Fulgencia Antonia, who died at the age of one, and Manuel Lorenzo. His wife died in the spring of 1831.

Zavala remarried in exile. His second wife was named Emily West Cresswell, whom he married in New York on November 12, 1831, at the Church of the Transfiguration.

From this union a son and two daughters were born. The eldest son, Agustín, was the father of Adina Emilia de Zavala, who played a role in the fight to preserve the Alamo as a historic structure for future generations.

Political career

Government posts

Zavala began his political career as secretary of the local government of the state of Yucatán, which led to his subsequent election to the Cortes of Madrid on behalf of Yucatán as governor.

After Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, Zavala resigned his post in Madrid and returned to Mexico, where he was elected to the newly formed National Congress, again representing Yucatán.

Zavala was part of a group to draft the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Mexico. In 1824, he was elected President of the Constitutional Congress, being the first to sign the Mexican Federal Constitution of 1824. He served in the Mexican Senate from 1824 to 1826.

He was appointed Minister of Finance in 1829 under the government of Vicente Guerrero and, later, he traveled to France and the United States as plenipotentiary minister.

In Paris he wrote the Historical Essay of the Revolutions of New Spain, an in-depth analysis of the difficult emergence of Mexico as a nation in the 19th century. This text was published in the French capital in 1831.

Zavala's support for Texas

Upon his return from France, he settled in Texas, which by then still belonged to Mexican territory. Texas was firm in its intentions to separate from Mexico and belong to North America.

Lorenzo de Zavala added his support to the separatist movement in Texas. Some historians argue that Zavala supported the cause by following the idealistic and libertarian line. However, others believe that he had personal interests, due to the land grant business for North American settlers in that area.

The independence of Texas took place between October 2, 1835 and April 21, 1836. Later, as a republic detached from Mexico, Samuel Houston took office as president and named Lorenzo de Zavala vice president.

As a result of this situation, in Mexico he was considered a traitor to the country and lost his nationality in 1935. Zavala died in Texas on November 15, 1836.

References

1. ESTEP, R. (2010). Zavala, lorenzo de. Taken from tshaonline.org
2. González, M. The yucatán de zavala. The firsts years. Taken from academia.edu
3. Portas, E. Lorenzo de zavala. A historiographical analysis of his historical essay on the revolutions of Mexico from 1808 to 1830. Taken from academia.edu
4. Semadeni, V., & Eugenia, M. (2009). The Masonic Obediences of the York Rite as Centers of Political Action, Mexico, 1825-1830. LiminaR, 7 (2), 41-55. Taken from scielo.org.mx
5. Zavala, lorenzo (1788-1836) - guide to memories of the Hacienda de México (1822-1910). Taken from memoriasdehacienda.colmex.mx