The Wars

The War with Texas

At a convention of colonists, on November 7, 1835, Sam Houston and Lorenzo de Zavala declared the separation of Texas from Mexico.

February 23, 1836. Santa Anna took the mission (the Alamo) near San Antonio de Bejar, Texas where the segregationalists had taken refuge.

April 21, 1836. Samuel Houston caught Santa Anna and his soldiers off guard near the San Jacinto river. The Mexican army was defeated and the general captured two days later.

April 19, 1837. General Anastasio Bustamante was appointed president.

The First War with France

To demand the payment of demages claimed by some French citizens, including a pastrycook, a squadron of French ships blockaded the port of Veracruz on November 16, 1838, bombarding the fortress of San Juan de U1ua. Santa Anna, who was on his estate of Manga de Clavo, offered the government his services, took command of the troops, and attacked the French. The Mexican government began negotiations and signed a peace treaty on March 9. Mexico was obliged to pay a large amount of money as indemnification. This clash with France was popularly known as the "Pastry War."

The Second Republic

October 1, 1839. The govement of Yucatan, in disagreement with the central power, declared the state independent from Mexico.

September 22, 1841. General Mariano Paredes y Arriaga rose up in armed revolt against the government in Guadalajara but was defeated.

October 11, 1841. Anastasio Bustamante resigned as president and Santa Anna was appointed in his place.

After a period of abitrary government, Santa Anna was repudiated by Congress and forced into exile in Venezuela.

December 15, 1843. Yucatan again joined Mexico.

June 4, 1844. General Valentin Canalizo, interim president, handed over to General Santa Anna once again. After despotic and arbitrary regime, Santa Anna was repudiated by Congress and he went into exile in June 1845.

March 1, 1845. Despite protests from Mexico, the Republic of Texas entered the Union.

War with the U.S.A.

American troops were ordered to advance. as far as the Rio Bravo (Rio Grande) under the pretext of protecting their new frontiers. After a skirmish between troops the Americans claimed they had been invaded and declared war on Mexico on May 13, 1846.

Mexican troops under General Mariano Arista were defeated at Palo Alto and Fronton de Santa Isabel on May 7 and 9, 1846.

Santa Anna returned to Mexico; he was appointed president and took command of the army. After fiercely resisting the American invaders, Monterrey surrendered on September 25, 1846.

February 23, 1847. The battle of Angostura began, in which the Americans were defeated, but Santa Anna foolishly ordered his troops to withdraw to San Luis Potosi.

March 28, 1847. An American army under General Winfield Scott landed at Veracruz.

April 18, 1847. The Americans defeated Santa Anna's troops at the mountain pass of Cerro Cordo, near Jalapa, then advanced on Puebla.

From August 18 to September 13 the battles of Padierna, Churubusco and Molino del Rey were fought. The Americans took Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City, which was heroically defended to the last by young cadets from the Military Academy.

Stripped of his command and no longer recognized as president, Santa Anna fled the country on September 16, 1847. American troops occupied Mexico City.

February 2, 1848. The peace treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed by the provisional president, Manuel de la Pena y Pena. The war ended, and Mexico lost half of its territory.

The Second Republic

To fight the rebellion of the Mayas that led to the terrible War of Castes in Yucatan, (once again separated from Mexico) the governor Miguel Barbachano was sent money and troops by the government, and was able to control the situation. On August 17, 1848 Yucatan became part of Mexico definitively.

The leader of the Jalisco militia, Jose Maria Blancarte revolted against the governor of the state, Jose Lopez Portillo, refusing to obey the orders of the government. Lopez Portillo established his government at Lagos on July 16, 1852.

September 13, 1852. The Cabildo (Council) of Guadalajara, meeting in the Hospicio Cabanas passed the Hospicio Plan that rejected the government of the president, Mariano Arista, and asked for Santa Anna's return from exile in Colombia.

on to: Dictatorship of Santa Anna