Bernie's blog: Part 3: The Age of Santa Ana

Santa Ana switched sides and points of view numerous time during his life.
He would become president of Mexico 11 separate times. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_heads_of_state_of_Mexico
He was of pure Spanish blood, not a mestizo, born in Mexico. He trained in the Spanish army and initially fought against Mexican rebels.
Napoleon restored Ferdinand VII to the Spanish throne. Ferdinand establishes a very right-wing, authoritarian government and mounts an army to re-dominate Mexico. The army rebels.
A Spanish Constitution of 1812 is drafted, patterned after the US Constitution, but with a king and with Catholicism as the official religion.
Santa Ana supports a rebellion from Spain and favors a Mexican king.
Then Santa Ana changes to wanting a democratic republic for Mexico, but still ignoring the Indians.
Mexicans leaders debate whether to create a United States of Mexico patterned after the USA. The counter argument is that Mexico has a very different history than the USA.
The USA started as 13 separate entities which federated for a common cause and each gave up a certain degree of autonomy.
Mexico started out as a single entity under the King and Viceroy and creating a United States of Mexico would be creating separations where there hadn't been any.

Joel Roberts Poinsett is the first US representative to Mexico. (The Poinsettia is naned for him. Among other things, he was a botanist.)
Poinsett comes from a wealthy South Carolina family, speaks Spanish, French, Italian, German and some Russian. As a young man he travels widely in Europe and Russia and the Middle East meeting the Czar and other leaders in the early 1800's, making him well educated for diplomatic posts.
In making recommendations about Mexico to John Quincy Adams, Poinsett essentially recommends what comes to be the Monroe Doctrine.
Poinsett was a high level Mason in South Carolina. Mexican leaders were fascinated with Masonry and joined one of the two Masonic lodges in Mexico, the Scottish Rite or the York Rite. Because of his Masoinc rank, Poinsett has a lot of influence over Mexican leadership
The Scottish Rite was very conservative wanted a monarchy.
The York Rite was very liberal and wanted a government patterned after the USA with a multi-chamber legislature and a president. Poinsett joins the York Rite.
The 19 Mexican states send representatives to elect a president and the conservatives win 10 to 9. But that president is not seated and with Santa Ana leading another army they appoint the loser, Vicente Guerrero president and establish a constitution patterned after the USA.

Ferdinand sent an army of 4,000 from Cuba and Puerto Rico to retake Mexico, landing at Tampico. Simultaneously there is a coupe against Guerrero. Santa Ana gathers a small army of a few hundred and marches against Tampico to discover that half of the Spanish army have died from Yellow Fever.
Sana Ana is eventually elected president and a conservative constitution is drafted ~ 1832 giving the resident almost absolute power, recognizing Catholicism as the state religion giving bishops a lot of power. He appoints a liberal vice president.
Within a month there is a revolt against the constitution. Santa Ana resigns and the liberal vice president takes over and begins changing the constitution.
Santa Ana fights against the revolt and defeats the rebels everywhere except in Texas.
On paper Santa Ana is still president and the USA returns him to Mexico where he is now unpopular.
Poinsett is now Secretary of Wat, appointed by Van Buren. Van Buren is the first US president born in the USA after it became the USA, but his first language was not English! He grew up in New York and his first language was Dutch.

1838 - The Pastry War.
A lot of foreign properties were damaged, seized or destroyed during all the rebellions and the owners wanted Mexico to pay compensation, but the government had no money. Miners and farmers had been fighting wars.
France sends an army to Veracruz to demand reparations.
Santa Ana leads an army to defend Veracruz. He is shot in the leg and thinks he is dying. He doesn't die, but the leg is amputated.
He becomes president again and has the amputated leg brought to Mexico City to appear in a parade demonstrating his dedication and sacrifices for Mexico.

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