His dictatorial exercise of power and abundant graft aroused resistance from more than just Texan Anglos, so he was often engaged in suppressing internal rebellions, and occasionally in being chased by them into exile. His last turn at president was aborted in 1855 by liberal reformers. Santa Anna fled to Cuba.
Where did Santa Anna live in exile?
From 1855 to 1874, Santa Anna lived in exile in Cuba, the United States, Colombia, and Saint Thomas. He had left Mexico because of his unpopularity with the Mexican people after his defeat in 1848 and traveled to and from Cuba, the United States, and Europe. He participated in gambling and businesses with the hopes that he would become rich.
Why did Hernan Santa Anna leave Mexico?
He had left Mexico because of his unpopularity with the Mexican people after his defeat in 1848 and traveled to and from Cuba, the United States, and Europe. He participated in gambling and businesses with the hopes that he would become rich. During his many years in exile, Santa Anna was a passionate fan of the sport of cockfighting.
What happened to Santa Anna after the war?
After some time in exile in the U.S., and after meeting U.S. President Andrew Jackson in 1837, Santa Anna was allowed to return to Mexico. He was transported aboard the USS Pioneer to retire to his hacienda in Veracruz. While in Veracruz, Santa Anna wrote a manifesto in which he reflected on his Texas experiences as well as his surrender.
What did Santa Anna do for Mexico?
In 1829, Santa Anna made his mark in the early republic by leading forces that defeated a Spanish invasion to reconquer Mexico. Spain made a final attempt to retake Mexico, invading Tampico with a force of 2,600 soldiers.
Why was Santa Anna exiled?
From 1855 to 1874, López de Santa Anna lived in exile in Cuba, the United States, Colombia, and Saint Thomas. He had left Mexico because of his unpopularity with the Mexican people after his defeat in 1848 and traveled to and from Cuba, the United States, and Europe.
When did Santa Anna get exiled?
He lost a leg in the skirmish. He gained enough prestige from this event to act as dictator from March to July 1839, while the president was away. Two years later he led a revolt and seized power, which he held until he was driven into exile in 1845.
Where did Santa Anna go in exile?
He was once exiled to Staten Island. Like his idol Napoleon, Santa Anna found himself exiled on several occasions after being deposed from power. His banishment following his last stint as dictator brought the former Mexican leader to an unlikely location—the future New York City borough of Staten Island.
What did Santa Anna do when he was captured?
Santa Anna was captured the next day on April 22 and Cos on April 24. After being held for about three weeks as a prisoner of war, Santa Anna signed the peace treaty that dictated that the Mexican army leave the region, paving the way for the Republic of Texas to become an independent country.
What did Santa Anna do to the bodies?
Mexican dictator Antonio López de Santa Anna had ordered the enemy dead burned and left unburied. Regarded by Texian rebels as sacrilege, his ruthless action only served to highlight the sacrifice the Alamo defenders had made toward the revolutionary cause, ensuring their martyrdom.
Who Stole Santa Anna leg?
In 1847, his artificial leg was captured by soldiers of the 4th Illinois Infantry, which is why it's in the Illinois State Military Museum. Santa Anna was eating lunch during a battle with the United States when the Americans surprised him, and he galloped off without his leg.
What is Santa Anna best known for?
Antonio López de Santa Anna, born on February 21, 1794, in Jalapa, Mexico, became a military captain and was elected president in 1833, known for his efforts in staving off Spain's attempt to recapture the country.
What happened to Santa Anna after he was captured the day after the Battle of San Jacinto?
After an eighteen-minute fight, the remaining Mexicans surrendered, but Santa Anna slipped away in a private's uniform. Within 24 hours, some 600 Mexicans had been killed and more than 700 captured, including eventually Santa Anna himself, who was then freed after he came to terms with Houston to end the war.
How many of Santa Anna's troops died at the Alamo?
Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna Recaptured the Alamo. On the morning of March 6, 1836, General Santa Anna recaptured the Alamo, ending the 13-day siege. An estimated 1,000 to 1,600 Mexican soldiers died in the battle. Of the official list of 189 Texan defenders, all were killed.
Why was Santa Anna spared?
Many in the Texan camp called for his death. However, political concerns dictated that his life be spared by the officials of the Republic of Texas so they could use his influence as Mexico's president to force concessions from him.
Why was the capture of Santa Anna so important?
The victory ensured the success of Texan independence: In mid-May, Santa Anna, who had been taken prisoner during the battle, signed a peace treaty at Velasco, Texas, in which he recognized Texas' independence in exchange for his freedom.
How did Mexico lose so much land?
Under the terms of the treaty negotiated by Trist, Mexico ceded to the United States Upper California and New Mexico. This was known as the Mexican Cession and included present-day Arizona and New Mexico and parts of Utah, Nevada, and Colorado (see Article V of the treaty).
Where was Santa Anna hiding?
The day after the battle, Sergeant J.A. Sylvester and his men, Joel W. Robinson, Joseph D. Vermillion, Alfred H. Miles, and David Cole, found a Mexican private hiding in tall grass near Vince's Bayou.
Where was Santa Anna held captive?
Phelps owned Orozimbo Plantation where Santa Anna was held prisoner and treated. In 1842 after his return to power in Mexico, Santa Anna expressed his gratitude by saving Phelps's son, Orlando, from execution as a member of the Mier expedition.
Did Santa Anna's leg returned to Mexico?
The leg in question, kept at the Illinois State Military Museum.
Why did Santa Anna return to Mexico?
When the Mexican-American War erupted in 1846, however, Santa Anna returned to Mexico originally claiming he only wanted to help in the war effort. Regardless, he declared himself president upon his return. The Mexican army under his command was subsequently defeated, and he was forced to sell all contested land to the United States, an acquisition American historians term the 'Spanish Cession.' Humiliated, Santa Anna was forced back into exile in 1848.
Which side did Santa Anna fight on?
Though he originally fought on the Spanish side, Santa Anna switched sides and favored Mexican independence in 1821.
Who Was General Santa Anna?
Though most political careers exhibit a wide range of experiences, it would be hard to find someone with as many crests and troughs as the nineteenth-century Mexican president, General Santa Anna. President eleven times and exiled nearly as often, Santa Anna is one of the most important figures of nineteenth-century Mexico and the American West.
How many times did Santa Anna take over the Mexican presidency?
Over the ensuing twenty-two years, Santa Anna would hold the Mexican presidency eleven times. He was first elected overwhelmingly in 1833. Santa Anna quickly gave most of the ruling power to his vice president, who launched far-reaching and unpopular reforms of church and state authority. As public outcry against the reforms grew, Santa Anna led a coup against his own government and seized power (essentially from his own vice president) in 1835.
What was Santa Anna's most important act?
Santa Anna took part in several coups during the formative years of the Mexican Republic in the 1820s. His most important act for his political future, however, came in 1829 when Spain attempted to retake Mexico, landing an invading force in Tampico. Santa Anna defeated the Spanish force with a far smaller Mexican force, and became a national hero in the process. He earned several laudatory epithets after the battle, but perhaps the most known is the one he gave himself: 'the Napoleon of the West.'
Where was Santa Anna born?
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was born in Xalapa, Mexico, on February 21, 1794. His was a family of high social standing, as his parents were from Spain. Santa Anna joined the military as a cadet at only sixteen. He was a natural to military life and command, and by twenty-six he was already a colonel in the Spanish colonial army.
Who commanded the Mexican forces during losses in the Texas Rebellion and the Mexican-American War?
Santa Anna commanded the Mexican forces during losses in the Texas Rebellion and the Mexican-American War.
Why did Santa Anna want to colonize Texas?
Santa Anna believed that the influx of American immigrants to Texas was part of a plot by the U.S. to take over the region. and the Mexican garrisons were strengthened .Mexico increased custom duties on exports, increasing the cost of trade with the US . Mexican colonization of Texas was encouraged .
Who was Santa Anna?
Santa Anna ( full name Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón)won the election of 1833 as a liberal with the largest majority in history .The vice presidency went to Valentin Gomez Farias, a liberal politician of intellectual distinction .Santa Anna chased after the presidency for at least a decade, but once he had it he soon wearied of it left the day to day running of the country to his vice president while he retired to his estate of Manga de Clavo in Vera Cruz .He was President of Mexico on eleven non-consecutive ( 1833 multiple times ,1834, 1835 ,1839 ,1841 - 1842 ,1843 - 1844 and 1847 ) occasions over a period of 22 years.
What was the goal of Santa Anna's army?
Soon, Santa Anna divided his army and sent flying columns across Texas. The objective was to force a decisive battle over the Texan Army, now led by General Sam Houston. Goliad.
What was the final straw for the Texas people?
The final straw for Americans in Texas was Santa Anna's annulment of the Federal Constitution of 1824 and feared they would lived under a tyrant with no representation at all .Many Americans began to argue that they should separate from Mexico, they were also supported by many Mexican liberals. The most active of these was Lorenzo de Zavala, leader of the Mexican Congress in 1823. The Texans choose independence and chose David Burnet as president and Zavala as vice president .
What were the major grievances against Mexico by the Texans?
One of the major grievances against Mexico by the Texans was that it was an appendage to the state of Coahuila . There were eventually given 3 representatives in the state legislature ( out of 12 ) buy were easily outvoted by Coahuilans on important matters . Appellate courts were located in faraway Saltillo .The Americans wanted Texas to be a separate state from Coahuila , but not independent from Mexico and to have its own capital. They believed a closer location for the capital would help to stem corruption and facilitate other matters of government.
What did the Mexicans do to the New Orleans colony?
The Mexicans did nothing to protect or govern the colony. The settlers created a code of laws for the administration of justice and the settlement of civil disputes. The land titles were duly recorded, and a local militia was organized. Austin was the supreme authority, the judge and commandant .In 1827, New Orleans was abuzz with talk of the leagues of land that Mexico was giving to those who would colonize in Texas. By 1827 there were 12,000 Americans living in Texas. By 1835 there were 30,000 Americans and only around 8,000 Mexicans .
Where did Austin set out to settle?
In 1820 he set out for Texas. He was at first coldly received by Governor Martinez of San Antonio, but by the aid of the Baron de Bastrop, a Prussian officer, who had served under Frederick the Great, and was then in the service of Mexico, he obtained a favorable hearing on his proposition to settle a colony of emigrants from the United States in Texas. Austin's petition was forwarded to the central government, and he returned home. On the route he was robbed and stripped by his fellow-travelers, and, after great exposure and privation, subsisting for twelve days on acorns and pecan nuts, he reached the cabin of a settler near the Sabine River. He reached home in safety, and commenced his preparations for removal to Texas; but his exposure and privations had weakened him, and he died from the effects of a cold in his fifty-seventh year, leaving his dying injunction to his son, Stephen, to carry out his project.
What happened to Santa Anna?
In 1844, Santa Anna's wife, Ines--whom he had long neglected in favor of a succession of young mistresses--died of pneumonia. A few months later, the 50-year-old Santa Anna shocked the nation by announcing his intention to marry 15-year-old Maria Dolores de Tosta. His unpopular marriage was the last straw. When his former ally led an army to the capital in December of 1844, Santa Anna was unable to raise troops adequate to his needs, and he fled. He was captured and imprisoned by Indians who, in an attempt at macabre humor, asked the new government if it would like him delivered as a tamale, cooked and wrapped in banana leaves. His enemies decided not to put him on trial, and he was exiled to Havana, Cuba.
What did Santa Anna do to help Mexico?
Santa Anna singlehandedly raised an army and rushed to the republic's defense. The Spanish forces were superior in numbers, equipment, and training; however, with fierce persistence, he fought the Spaniards all summer, keeping them bottled up in Tampico. In September, the Spanish commander--his ranks ravaged by yellow fever--formally recognized the independence of Mexico and withdrew his troops to Cuba. Santa Anna was hailed as a hero. At about this time, he began referring to himself as the "Napoleon of the West."
How many presidents did Santa Anna have?
There were five liberal presidential administrations during Santa Anna's exile, with no appreciable improvement in conditions. By the time conservatives returned to power in 1853, ill feeling toward Santa Anna had dissipated. Conservative leader Lucas Alaman conceived a plan to create stability, which included the appointment of Santa Anna as interim president for a period of one year, after which a monarch would be installed. Santa Anna accepted the proposal, returned to Mexico, and began his fifth and final term as president on April 20, 1853. In December of 1853, Santa Anna engineered an offer from the military to appoint him emperor, which he declined. Instead, he accepted the title of His Most Serene Highness, which carried with it an indefinite extension of his term and the right to name his successor.
What was Santa Anna's reputation?
Santa Anna was considered the only man who could successfully defend his country against this invasion. Initially surprised by the French invasion, Santa Anna rallied his troops, routed the French, and pursued them to the harbor. There the French fired a cannon loaded with shrapnel, shattering his lower left leg, which was amputated below the knee. (See the readings about Santa Anna’s leg, which was treated as a national hero.)
How did the cotton boom affect Texas?
The cotton boom in the U.S. meant that U.S. citizens were infiltrating the unguarded border to acquire cheap land. In an effort to forestall the "Americanization" of Texas, the Mexican government granted land to 300 families, led by the Austin family, on condition that the members become Mexican and Roman Catholic. (Land there cost 10 cents an acre, as compared to $1.25 an acre for worse land in the US, and the emigrants did not have to pay Mexican taxes for seven years.) The effort failed, for both legal and illegal immigrants violated the law. By 1827, there were 12,000 US citizens in Texas, as compared to 7000 Mexican citizens. By 1830, former United States citizens outnumbered Mexicans in Texas by four to one (30,000 to about 78000), and conflict began between the two groups. Anglo settlers, under the leadership of Stephen F. Austin, began to demand a measure of political autonomy. The Mexican government attempted to enforce control by abolishing slavery in 1829 (which was aimed at Texas, since slavery was unimportant elsewhere in Mexico), closing the border to further colonization from the United States in 1830, and restricting trade. When Santa Anna revoked the 1824 constitution, denying Texans a vote, they declared independence. Santa Anna responded personally, marching an army of 6,000 men north in the winter of 1835-36. In February, accompanied by half of his army, he clashed with 180 Texans who had taken up a defensive position in an abandoned Franciscan mission known as the Alamo. (See Alamo readings.) After a prolonged siege, in March Santa Anna attacked the mission with a policy of "no quarter," winning the battle and killing all the Alamo's occupants. This action earned him the undying enmity of Texans. Three weeks later, he ordered his troops to execute 365 prisoners after the battle of Goliad, an incident that became notorious and that inspired inflows of men, weapons, and money from the US. Just six weeks later, events changed dramatically. An army under the command of General Sam Houston dealt Santa Anna's forces a stunning blow at the San Jacinto River. The Mexican Army suffered devastating losses and Santa Anna was taken prisoner. In May, Santa Anna signed two treaties with the Texans. One guaranteed that Mexican troops would be permanently withdrawn. The other--not made public at the time--specified that Santa Anna would work for Mexican recognition of the Republic of Texas in exchange for safe transport back to Veracruz. These activities were deeply unpopular in Mexico; the episode was the most serious setback of his career. Upon his release, he resigned as president and retired to Manga de Clavo in disgrace. In Mexico, Santa Anna was widely considered a traitor.
What was Santa Anna's last term?
Santa Anna's last term as President, ironically was his longest. He was recalled from exile in 1853 to lead a conservative government. He attempted to declare himself dictator for life, but was instead overthrown and once again sent into exile, this time for good. He left Mexico in 1855 and did not return intil a general amnesty was granted in 1874. He died two years after returning to Mexico.
Who was Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna?
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was a real-life caricature of an unstable, unprincipled, military despot of Latin American politics. He served as President of Mexico 11 times—sometimes as briefly as two weeks, other times for 1 to 2 years. He fought in dozens of Mexican wars—on both the Royalist and Republican sides during the Wars of Independence, and on both the Liberal and Conservative sides during the Republican Civil Wars. He defeated the Republic of Texas at the Battle of the Alamo, but later was defeated and captured by Sam Houston at the Battle of San Jacinto. In deciding what to do after his capture, Houston recommended releasing him, stating that "he may or may not honor it [the treaty], but if we allow him to return to politics . . . he will keep Mexico in turmoil for years."
Overview
Career
López de Santa Anna's origins on the East Coast of Mexico had important ramifications for his military career, because he developed immunity from yellow fever, endemic to the region. The port of Veracruz and environs were known to be unhealthy for those not native to the region so he had a personal strategic advantage against military forces from elsewhere. Being a military officer in a …
Early life
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón was born in Xalapa, Veracruz, Nueva España (New Spain), on 21 February 1794 into a respected Spanish family. He was named after his father, Licenciado Antonio López de Santa Anna (born 1761), a university graduate and a lawyer; his mother was Manuela Pérez de Lebrón (died 1814). The family belonged to the racially elite criollo group of American-born Spaniards, although the family was n…
Personal life
López de Santa Anna married twice, both times to wealthy young women. At neither wedding ceremony did he appear, legally empowering his future father-in-law to serve as a proxy at his first wedding and a friend at his second. One assessment of the two marriages is that they were arranged marriages of convenience, bringing considerable wealth to López de Santa Anna and that hi…
Later years and death
From 1855 to 1874, López de Santa Anna lived in exile in Cuba, the United States, Colombia, and Saint Thomas. He had left Mexico because of his unpopularity with the Mexican people after his defeat in 1848 and traveled to and from Cuba, the United States, and Europe. He participated in gambling and businesses with the hopes that he would become rich. During his many years i…
Legacy
He was highly controversial at the time and ever since. In the 2007 biography by Will Fowler, Santa Ana was depicted as, “a liberal a Republican, and army man, a hero, a revolutionary, a regional strongman, but never a politician. He presented himself as a mediator who was both anti-party and anti-politics in the decades when the new country of Mexico was wracked by factional infighting. He was always more willing to lead an army than to lead his country”
In popular culture
• He is repeatedly mentioned in the John Wayne film The Alamo
• In the 1998 film The Mask of Zorro, Santa Anna is mentioned and is portrayed by Joaquim de Almeida in a deleted scene.
• Fox animated series King of the Hill season 2 episode 18 The Final Shinsult largely revolves around Santa Anna's prosthetic leg.
See also
• History of democracy in Mexico
• List of heads of state of Mexico