VALENTÍN CANALIZO: BIOGRAPHY, PRESIDENCY, CONTRIBUTIONS - ARTE - 2024

Valentín Canalizo (1794-1850) was a Mexican military man who served in different areas of the Mexican political world, where he became governor, mayor, general of the army, minister of defense and conservative politician.

Thanks to his great closeness to President Antonio López de Santa Anna he was President of Mexico on two occasions. Both presidencies were temporary in nature, being appointed by Santa Anna, and in total he only added about a year in charge of the nation.

Painting by Valentín Canalizo. Source: SUN RISE, via Wikimedia Commons.

His presidencies were marked by the problems that Mexico was experiencing, both political, economic and social. This as a consequence of the ten years that were previously lived, by the Mexican War of Independence.

His most important role was played as a military man. He participated in multiple battles and was part of important decisions in the history of Mexico as a nation.

Biography

On February 12, 1795, during the Viceroyalty of New Spain, José Valentín Raimundo Canalizo Bocadillo was born in Monterrey. He was the son of Vicente and María Josefa Bocadillo. He traveled to Querétaro to start his military career when he was still very young.

He married María Josefa Benita Dávila Ortega, who died near the end of Canalizo's first presidency, when he was only 43 years old. They had two children, Antonio and Vicente Canalizo Dávila. The military man never remarried.

He finally withdrew from public and political life at the end of 1847. A short time later, in 1850, he died of pneumonia in Mexico City, at home. He was only 56 years old.

Military career

He began his military training when he was only 16 years old, thanks to the help of his family. He moved to Querétaro, where his uncles were: General José Canalizo and Juan Canalizo. Through them he managed to enter the army in Celaya, where he served as an infantry cadet.

At the age of 22, in 1816, he reached the rank of second lieutenant and a year later he became a lieutenant in the army. This rapid advance was due to their outstanding performance during battles, especially against insurgent groups. In addition, he showed great determination when he executed those who were sentenced to the death penalty.

Lucho joined Iturbide to achieve the Independence of Mexico, which he swore in 1821. He also participated in all the battles in which he was called. In one of his fights he was wounded and after the victory he was decorated with the rank of colonel.

One of his most important roles he played since the 1930s, when he fought against groups of liberals and helped General Antonio López de Santa Anna assume power in Mexico, thus initiating a period of dictatorship.

This alliance allowed him to play many roles at the political level in the country, including acting president.

After his presidencies and exile, he returned to Mexico and participated in the war of invasion of the United States. His objective was to defend the Gulf of Veracruz, something that he could not fulfill.

His defeat was so catastrophic that he was prosecuted, retired from the army and from public life. From that moment their differences with Santa Anna began.

Career in politics

The doors to the political world were opened wide by the dictator Antonio López Santa Anna. The most important position he held was that of President of Mexico. He did it by order of Santa Anna and it was a role that he played twice, both provisionally and in total he did not spend more than a year in charge of the country.

In the 1930s he opposed the revolution that finally removed President Anastasio Bustamante from power.

He was mayor of Mexico City, in 1842 he served as governor in Puebla. Years before, he had already been mayor of the city of Cuernavaca.

After being in exile, he returned to the country to serve as Mexico's defense minister, when Valentín Gómez Farías served as the nation's president.

Presidency

When Canalizo first assumed the presidency, he was only 37 years old. He was the first and only president of Mexico born in Monterrey.

Santa Anna left him in power up to two times since he was his friend. Canalizo was even the best man at the wedding of the Mexican dictator when he married Dolores Tosta. Although highly criticized, Santa Anna was always pleased with Canalizo's performance, who was finally overthrown in 1844.

Although Canalizo was seen as the president during these two periods of Mexican history, it is said that he only carried out orders from Santa Anna and that no decision was made on his own initiative. Listed by many with a loyal assistant.

First government

His first stage as president occurred between October 4, 1843 and June 3, 1844. Due to the friendship he had with General Santa Anna and the role he played to return him to power, Canalizo was appointed by the dictator as interim president in October 1843.

This designation was approved by the Congress of Mexico. During this stage, Santa Anna appointed the defense minister, José María Tornel, as Canalizo's tutor and remained on his estate in Encero.

During this time, the government of Mexico granted some aid to the Sisters of Charity and the San Gregorio school. In addition, the regulations governing the Military College were promulgated.

In these months decisions were also made such as transferring the medical school to the San Ildefonso school. All this while taxes were increased as a method to support the army.

One of the main tasks that Canalizo had as president was to relocate the nation's chamber of deputies. A flood caused extensive damage to the old chamber where he was sitting.

Among his latest decisions was to appoint José Joaquín de Herrera as the new president of the Governing Council. Near the end of his term, his wife, who was only 43 years old, died.

When Santa Anna resumed the position of president, Canalizo was sent to San Luis de Potosí. There, the military man took over the army with the mission of preparing them for a future campaign in Texas.

His second government

His second presidential term began on September 21, 1844, only three and a half months after his first interim term.

This time he was appointed by the Council of State as interim president. He had to return to Mexico from San Luis de Potosí and only assumed his functions as of September 21. He received the position from José Joaquín de Herrera, who assumed his functions for nine days, the time it took for Canalizado to return to the capital.

When he assumed power there were already some uprisings in the country. As was the case with the Jalisco revolution, with Paredes and Arrillaga in command.

On the express orders of Santa Anna, Canalizo decided to dissolve the Congress of Mexico by decree. This measure provoked demonstrations by citizens and prevented with the use of weapons any gathering of those who held positions in the dissolved institution.

One of the most famous demonstrations against Canalizo's decision occurred on December 4 when a statue of Santa Anna appeared with a rope that simulated the hanging of the dictator.

It took two more days for Canalizo to be overthrown. On December 6, members of civil society and military personnel went in search of Canalizo, who did not put up much resistance to his removal.

José Joaquín Herrera once again held the position of president. Meanwhile, Canalizo became a prisoner.

There were some plans to file a charge against Valentín Canalizo, but they were unsuccessful as an amnesty was decreed. The military and former president of Mexico was then escorted to leave the country.

A ship left San Juan de Ulúa on October 25, 1845, which took Canalizo to Spain, specifically to Cádiz. In the old continent she lasted two years in exile.

Contributions

The contributions of Valentín Canalizo have to do with the role he played in the different political and social events that occurred in Mexico. His name is written in several events of great relevance in the history of the nation.

His main contributions were when he performed functions proper to his military career. Since he was part of the Iturbide army and participated in the Mexican war of independence.

He was also in charge of arresting General Guadalupe Victoria on the orders of Iturbide. Later, when Victoria became the first president of Mexico, he forced Canalizo to leave the army.

He led the council that accused Vicente Guerrero of mutiny and sentenced him to death. The document where the order was made official has Canalizo's signature.

In his first stage as president he wanted to establish a philosophical government. Its main objective was to provide tools for the union between the Santander period and the nascent constitutional stage.

Almost at the end of his first presidency, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies were installed in the country. In the first Congress, the new president was elected and Antonio López Santa Anna won again, so Canalizo remained in the position of interim president. Democracy began to take its first steps at this stage.

References

1. Biographies: Valentín Canalizo - A Continent Divided: The US-Mexico War. Recovered from library.uta.edu
2. Carmona, D. Valentín Canalizo assumes the presidency of the Republic as a substitute for Santa Anna. Recovered from memoriapoliticademexico.org
3. Martínez, F. (2019). President Valentín Canalizo. Recovered from paratodomexico.com
4. Valadés, J. (1972). Origins of the Mexican Republic the constitutional dawn. Mexico:.
5. Valentin Canalizo. (2011). Recovered from calderon.presidencia.gob.mx