Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón, born February 21, 1794 in Xalapa, the current capital of the state of Veracruz and died June 21, 1876 in Mexico City, was a Mexican soldier and politician who exercised eleven times the presidency of Mexico. He was nicknamed The Eagle, the Napoleon of the West or the immortal Hero of Cempoala by his friends and supporters, his enemies nicknamed him Quince Uñas (Fifteen Nails) in reference to the leg he lost in 1838. He is the son of Antonio López de Santa Anna and Manuela Pérez de Lebrón.
Born February 21, 1794 in Xalapa, Antonio López de Santa Anna entered the "Fijo de Veracruz" infantry regiment as a cadet on July 6, 1810. In 1811, during the Nuevo Santander campaign (today Tamaulipas) under the command of Don José Joaquín de Arredondo y Mioño, he fought the "Indians" and was wounded in the arm by a Chichimec arrow. For his bravery he was appointed second lieutenant in 1812. The same year, he fought against the Gutiérrez/Magee expedition. Following the battle of Medina he is again cited for his bravery. He then returned to Veracruz and in 1815 met José Dávila, governor of the province. He was named by him commander of the extra muros military formations of Veracruz, where he successfully fought the insurgents in the vicinity of the port. Santa Anna was named captain in 1817 by the viceroy don Juan Ruiz de Apodaca with the mission of pacifying the surroundings of the port of Veracruz but disagreements with the local authorities prevented him from carrying out his task.
In 1818, he established contact with Don Guadalupe Victoria who led the independence guerrillas and who invited him to join his ranks. Santa Anna responded by offering land to those of the insurgents who would lay down their arms and founded a few villages in the state of Veracruz. He also begins to get rich. Meanwhile, Iturbin and Vicente Guerrero proclaim the independence of the country through the plan of Iguala that they have just signed. Santa Anna then abandoned the royalist army on April 26, 1821 and joined the cause of independence. He routs his former comrades in arms at Alvarado, then at Córdoba and Xalapa, but fails in front of the port of Veracruz where he is repelled by Davila, who has remained loyal to Spain and his troops then suffer heavy losses. In 1821, he distinguished himself by chasing the Spaniards out of the port of Veracruz, but he left the fortress of San Juan de Ulúa which commanded the entrance to the port and blocked trade in their power.
He is disappointed with Iturbin and the Empire for not rewarding him enough to his liking. Yet in 1822 Iturbin appointed him general-brigadier and charged him with pursuing Guadalupe Victoria. But Santa Anna prefers to fake an illness so as not to obey the imperial order. The same year he failed in his attempt to recapture San Juan de Ulúa from the Spanish. He then quarrels with Echavarri, governor of Veracruz. On December 6, 1822, he signed with Guadalupe Victoria the plan of Veracruz in which it is said that the only form of government in Mexico must be the Republic. Santa Anna is among the military leaders supporting Casa Mata's February 1, 1823 plan to overthrow Emperor Iturbin and declare a Republic in Mexico. He himself proclaimed it on December 2, 1823 in Veracruz, at the head of 400 men, to popular enthusiasm. Spain makes a last effort to reconquer Mexico:an expeditionary force of 3,000 Spanish soldiers commanded by Brigadier Isidro Barradas lands in Tampico in 1829. Santa Anna marches against them with a smaller troop and achieves victory. Many of his opponents die of yellow fever. He is declared a national hero, which he appreciates, and now calls himself "the hero of Tampico" and "the savior of the fatherland".
From 1810 to 1848, that is to say during 38 years of almost uninterrupted wars, Santa-Anna took part in more battles than George Washington and Napoleon I combined.
Political career
He then declared that he was retiring from public life "unless my country needs me". He decides his return is essential when Anastasio Bustamante leads a coup, overthrowing and shooting President Vicente Guerrero in February 1831.
Privacy
Santa Anna made many female conquests. He married at least twice. He liked to gamble and bet sometimes large sums. He had a passion for fighting cocks. He married Inés de la Paz García and Dolores Tosta. He is a member of a Masonic Lodge of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite4
In 1836, during the Texas campaign, he had a child whose sex is unknown with Melchora Barrera, nor is it known precisely whether they married or not. Later Santa Anna sent them to Mexico City and watched over their well-being. He purchased two fine properties in his native state, the Manga de Clavo haciendas near the port of Veracruz where he spent much of his life. He bought on May 27, 1842 the so-called hacienda of El Encero located near Jalapa for 45,000 pesos and which became his principal residence when he married in 1844 in second marriages (in the chapel which he had specially built there) with doña Dolores de Tosta (after the death of his first wife Inés de la Paz García with whom he had five children). The haciendas of Santa Anna were mainly devoted to raising cattle to feed his troops. He also raised fighting cocks there, to which he had a great passion.
In 1839 he received in his hacienda of Manga de Clavo the Marchioness Calderón de la Barca and later the wife of the American ambassador Poinsett. Both published detailed accounts of their stay. Santa Anna received there almost all the politicians, soldiers and notables of the time. A crowd of beggars of all kinds from all over the country awaited him as soon as he left his house. His opponents had nicknamed him "quinze uñas" (fifteen nails) in reference to the foot he lost in Veracruz. He is considered by some to be the first to have tried to market the chicle obtained from the Manilkara zapota, a tree that grew on his land, as chewing gum, as well as tires for carriage wheels, but without success.
President of Mexico
Succeeding President Manuel Gomez Pedraza, Valentín Gómez Farías served as interim president from April 1 to June 18, 1833. The measures he took against the property of the clergy and the privileges of the military provoked an uprising against him called Plan de Religión y fueros proclaimed in Morelia by Colonel Don Ignacio Escala seconded at Chalco by General Durán. Santa Anna, pretending to leave to fight them, was taken "prisoner" by them and, after a show of escape, had the presidency handed over to him by Gómez Farías on June 18, 1833. Gómez Farías fought to reform and give modern institutions to the Nation, which earned him the enmity of the military and large landowners as well as the Catholic Church. In May 1835, the liberal revolt of Zacatecas was crushed, there were between 2,000 and 2,500 civilians killed in 2 days of massacres.
Texas independence
The Texas portion of the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas went into rebellion in March 1836 (see Texas Revolution). Santa Anna, on government orders, marched north at the head of 6,000 inexperienced recruits to bring the rebel province back under control, but he was captured by separatist forces after the Battle of San Jacinto on April 22, 1836. Threatened in his physical integrity, he orders the withdrawal of troops from Texas. Order that should not have been followed, no army should obey a prisoner leader. In Mexico City, the government of President José Justo Corro stripped him of his command. After some time in captivity and estrangement in the United States, he was allowed to return to Mexico. He then retired to the state of Veracruz in one of his properties.
French intervention
In 1838 Santa Anna (who then did not occupy the presidency) saw a chance to show that he was still there when Louis-Philippe's navy landed in Veracruz under the pretext of compensating French merchants who had been victims of troubles in Mexico City. Intervention called Pastry War. It is said that he was in his hammock in his hacienda and that hearing the cannonade, he jumped on his horse in the direction of the port – former President of the Republic, millionaire, he risked his life as a simple soldier.
With few men and virtually no help from the government (who secretly hoped the French would get rid of him), showing great physical courage, he fought against the invader with little result, and lost a leg that he lost. he later had he buried with high honors in Mexico City. Santa Anna would retain control of his army after the French withdrew, allowing him to return to power.
New mandate
This exercise of power is still hard and more bureaucratic than before. He raises the taxes necessary for the functioning of the administrations, the army, the formation of a present state, which provokes the anger of the rich who did not want to pay anything and of the popular classes already very affected. Several Mexican states purely and simply cease all relations with the central government. Yucatán declares itself an independent republic. In December 1844, the opposition was such that Santa Anna decided it was wise to accept the offer (to avoid a civil war) to renounce the presidency and go into exile with a generous pension. So he goes to Cuba. The finances were in a disastrous state and the officers often revolted, tired of waiting for their pay. In 1844, an uprising brought Pedraza and the moderados back to power with General José Joaquín Herrera as president. The plebs of Mexico took the opportunity to overthrow the statue of Santa Anna and drag through the streets at the end of a rope the piece of leg he had lost in Veracruz. The former dictator, who had returned from exile, fled to the mountains of his native Veracruz where he was taken by natives of the Xico region, cannibals who were going to eat him when he was saved, in extremis, by government troops. He is probably the only head of state who almost suffered this fate.
Mexican-American War
In 1846, with the aim of seizing new territories, the United States declared war on Mexico, knowing its military weakness and its internal disorganization. Santa Anna writes to President Gómez Farías that he no longer has any aspiration to the presidency but enthusiastically offers his military experience to repel foreign invasion. The government is desperate enough to accept this offer. However, Santa Anna negotiated secretly with the representatives of the United States pleading that if he were allowed to cross the border, he would endeavor to sell the coveted territories at a reasonable price, knowing that in any case it would be impossible for the Mexico to keep them. Once in command, he violates his two commitments:he makes a new coup and fights firmly but without success against the invasion of the United States. After several battles, Mexico loses half of its surface to the United States.
Last term
Santa Anna went into exile on September 16, 1847, via Jamaica, Colombia, to Turbaco where he lived in the former property of Simón Bolivar. In 1853, he returned at the invitation of the Church and the Conservatives with whom he regained power. His administration is no better than the previous ones. He spends a lot of money, leads the way, sells a portion of territory to the United States, cf. Gadsden Purchase (in this he may have avoided a new war), and declares himself president for life with the title of Serene Highness. He also had a national anthem composed and played, the music and certain verses of which have remained the same to this day.
New exile and end of life
It continues the practice of previous governments by paying large sums to politicians and soldiers to ensure their loyalty. But in 1855, even his conservative allies grew tired of him and he had to flee to Cuba and then again to Colombia. Powerful and respected caciques such as Santiago Vidaurri (es) in Nuevo Léon and Manuel Doblado (es) in Guanajuato join his opponents and provide them with troops. The extent of his corruption is made public, he is tried in absentia for treason and his assets in Mexico are confiscated. He then lives in Colombia (where he acts as a benefactor of Turbaco) then in the island of Saint-Thomas. Laws issued in 1856 by Comonfort's government confiscated all of Santa Anna's property and its haciendas were sold for the benefit of the Nation.
During the reign of Emperor Maximilian I imposed by the European powers, Santa Anna was not invited to return to service in the armies of President Juárez who were fighting against a French army commanded by Marshal Bazaine and the Belgian expeditionary forces of Colonel Alfred Van der Smissen, Spanish to General Juan Prim and English to Admiral Dunlop. These troops fail to overcome the Mexican resistance and end up leaving Mexico, leaving the Emperor Maximilian alone against the Mexicans who have him shot. After the withdrawal of foreign troops, an amnesty decreed in 1872 by President Lerdo de Tejada allowed Santa Anna to return to his homeland. In 1876, in Mexico, he died poor and forgotten, he who liked to call himself the Napoleon of the West. Shortly before his death, ceremonies in memory of the Battle of Churubusco were organized by the government. Santa Anna who had been Commander-in-Chief at the time was not even invited to attend. His remains lie alongside those of Dolorés de Tosta at the Panteón del Tepeyac (Del. Gustavo A. Madero). Santa Anna was the ideal scapegoat for successive Mexican governments to this day. Everything negative that happened in Mexico during the period 1830-1855 was, so to speak, his fault and the Americans made him a caricature of the grandiloquent, treacherous and corrupt tropical braggadocio style, targeting through him many Latin American politicians. But a careful study of history restores some luster to Santa Anna and allows us to better understand the complexity of her personality.