Gangland by Jerry Langton Read Free Book Online Page B

reconquest of Mexico.
    Rebuffed by the Bourbons, the Cortes looked for a suitable emperor of regal blood among the Mexicans, but found none. Fearing the de Iturbide might try to take the throne himself, the Cortes reduced the army's influence. This backfired, however, leading to problems in the economy and social unrest when some rebel groups considered the military weakened. With a throng of followers around him, de Iturbide took the crown for himself, in what many now believe to be a coup.
    His coronation—on July 21, 1822—was an elaborate affair in which he put the crown on his own head, just as Napoleon had done, gave himself the title of “Prince of the Union” and styled himself Emperor Agustín I of Mexico. He dissolved the Cortes and sent his political enemies to prison.
    These actions made him a lot of new enemies. Anti-imperialist movements—called Republicans because of their shared philosophy of deposing Agustín and installing a republic—sprang up all over Mexico. Even the most conservative Peninsulares were greatly offended by this commoner (born in Valladolid yet!) who so pompously wrapped himself in emperor's robes. But most of his enemies were liberal Criollos and Mestizos , both of which groups wanted something better than a home-grown dictator. With the Mexican empire stretching from present-day Oregon thousands of miles south to what is now Colombia, the political and economic necessities of such a large and diverse country needed deft government, not a self-involved plutocrat.
    One of these insurrections, in Veracruz, was led by a charismatic army general named Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón (now generally just called Santa Anna). A shrewd man with a passion for gambling and little reluctance to change sides when he saw a better offer, Santa Anna had been one of Emperor Agustín's early supporters, calling him “El Libertador” (the Liberator), a move that earned him his rank and a nice hacienda. When he saw the emperor's support waning, however, he threw his lot in with the Republicans, joining with Victoria, one of the signators of the Plan de Iguala , who was now deeply embittered with Agustín.
    When Agustín sent an army to quell Victoria and Santa Anna, he made a huge mistake. He appointed Colonel José Antonio Echavarri Aldai, an old friend of Santa Anna's, as its leader. It was not long before Echavarri changed sides and the combined armies of Echavarri and Santa Anna were reinforced by Victoria's men.
    Agustín sent an emissary to Santa Anna, asking him to meet in Mexico City. Fearing an assassination plot, Santa Anna responded with the Plan de Casa Mata , which called for an end to the empire and the establishment of a republic with a written constitution. After the widespread distribution of the plan, Guerrero, who was also angry at the betrayal of the man who called himself emperor, came out of hiding to join their cause. Making matters worse for Agustín, the southern provinces of his empire—the states of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica—declared their independence from Mexico (and Spain) under the name República Federal de Centroamérica (Federal Republic of Central America) and there were armed independence movements in a number of neighboring states.
    Santa Anna and his men marched on the capital, facing little serious opposition. The emperor gathered his few remaining loyal troops, but they were badly outnumbered. On May 11, 1823, Agustín signed the document of surrender that also called for his exile. He sailed for Tuscany, but pressure from their Spanish allies forced him to settle in England. The new Mexican congress named him a traitor, but continued to pay him a small pension.
    This new congress abolished the Empire and all other preceding documents, and on March 31, 1823, decided that a triumverate, comprising Victoria, Nicolás Bravo and