WHAT DID ITURBIDE THINK OF THE RIOT? - HISTORY - 2024

There are no documents that record what Iturbide's opinion was about the Pío Marcha mutiny, however, it is considered that this mutiny was planned by Iturbide himself.

On May 18, 1822, Agustín de Iturbide's followers started a mutiny that was intended to make him appointed Emperor of the newly installed Empire of Mexico.

Agustín de Iturbide

This mutiny, also known as the Movimiento Iturbidista de Pío Marcha or Levantamiento Iturbidista, was organized by Sergeant Pío Marcha accompanied by the troops of the Celaya regiment, some members of the clergy and by the people.

Background of the Iturbidista movement of Pío Marcha

The Iguala plan

Due to the tensions in the New Spain colony and the weakening of the forces of the Spanish Crown, the royalist Colonel Agustín de Iturbide allied with the rebel forces led Vicente Guerrero to discuss the new course that the war for the Independence of Mexico would take..

In the city of Iguala, Iturbide proclaimed the "three guarantees" that should be obtained once independence from the Spanish Crown was achieved.

The first guarantee was that Mexico would have constituted an independent monarchical government under the rule of King Ferdinand of Spain, a Bourbon prince, or any other conservative European prince.

The second guarantee was that the Creole population of Mexico would enjoy the same rights as the peninsular (Spanish). The last guarantee was that the Roman Catholic Church would maintain its privileges in Mexico.

Once Iturbide convinced his army to accept the three guarantees, they were officially pronounced in the Plan of Iguala on February 24, 1821. The plan offered such benefits that the rebel forces joined Iturbide.

The Treaty of Córdoba

When it became clear that the victory of the army of the Three Guarantees and the rebel army was overwhelming, the viceroy of New Spain resigned.

On August 24, 1821, the Cordoba treaty was signed between Agustín de Iturbide and some representatives of the Spanish Crown, thus recognizing the independence of Mexico and the legality of the Iguala plan.

In addition, Iturbide included a clause in the Cordoba treaty that stated that if a suitable European monarch was not found for the Empire of Mexico, the Mexican Congress could choose a Creole to be the emperor.

Congress of Mexico

A third of the members of the Congress of Mexico were supporters of Iturbide. This helped the Iturbide measures (the three guarantees and the Cordoba treaty) to be accepted by Congress.

Development of the Iturbidista movement of Pío Marcha

On the night of May 18, 1822, at the San Hipólito barracks, Sergeant Pío Marcha of the Celaya regiment (which had been under the command of Iturbide during the war of independence) started a revolt in which he proclaimed Agustín de Iturbide as emperor of the Mexican Empire.

Sergeant Marcha, together with the troops from his barracks (no more than 150 men), took to the streets armed and took possession of the squares of Mexico City

March, supported by Colonel Rivero, turned on all the lights in the neighboring houses, ordered the bells to be rung, and burst into a theater, where the soldiers and the rest of the population gathered. In this theater, Agustín de Iturbide was proclaimed emperor.

While it is true that Iturbide had followers within the Mexican Congress, most of the deputies were against him.

Despite this, the day after Pío Marcha's mutiny, on May 19, the Mexican Congress gave in to the pressure generated by the mutineers and sympathetic deputies declared that Iturbide would be the first emperor of Mexico.

Later, Emperor Iturbide had the deputies who opposed him arrested, among which Servando Teresa Mier stood out, and on October 31, 1822 he dissolved the Congress of Mexico.

Iturbide's opinion on the events of the mutiny of May 18, 1822

History does not save what Iturbide's opinion was before the events of the Iturbidista movement of Pío Marcha.

However, many historians agree that this mutiny was prepared by Iturbide himself and that he ordered Pío Marcha to take Mexico City and proclaim him emperor.

In fact, if you study the actions of Iturbide before the mutiny, it could be argued that he had planned the scene to become the ruler of Mexico once independence was achieved.

The following are the arguments in favor of this theory:

1- With the meeting between Iturbide and Guerrero in Iguala, Iturbide secured the cooperation of the rebel forces. Being a royalist colonel, he already had the support of the royal forces.

2- The guarantees proposed by Iturbide in the Iguala plan were intended to satisfy all members of the population of Mexico since:

• declared the independence that so attracted the rebels
• ensured that the continuity of the power of the Spanish Crown, which benefited the royalists
• and it affirmed the power of the Roman Catholic Church, which attracted members of the clergy.

3- The additional clause of the treaty of Córdoba, left the door open so that any Mexican could be appointed emperor, which, in fact, was what happened with Agustín Iturbide.

If this theory is true, as the evidence seems to indicate, Iturbide should not have been surprised by the mutiny or its results; on the contrary, he was aware of what was to happen.

References

1. Mexican War of Independence. Retrieved on June 27, 2017, from en.wikipedia.org.
2. Agustín de Iturbide. Retrieved on June 27, 2017, from en.wikipedia.org.
3. The Expulsion of Mexico's Spaniard. Retrieved on June 27, 2017, from books.google.com.
4. The Plan of Iguala. Retrieved on June 27, 2017, from en.wikipedia.org.
5. Equal Plan. Retrieved on June 27, 2017, from britannica.com.
6. Treaty of Córdoba. Retrieved on June 27, 2017, from britannica.com.
7. Plan of Iguala and Treaty of Córdoba. Retrieved June 27, 2017, from