Anastasio Bustamante
Encyclopedia
Anastasio Bustamante y Oseguera (27 July 1780 – 6 February 1853) was president of Mexico
three times, from 1830 to 1832, from 1837 to 1839 and from 1839 to 1841. He was a Conservative. He first came to power by leading a coup against president Vicente Guerrero
. Bustamante was deposed twice, and exiled to Europe each time.
to Guadalajara
but was able to provide his son with a good education. At 15, the younger Bustamante entered the Seminary of Guadalajara. When he finished, he went to Mexico City to study medicine. He passed his medical examinations and then went to San Luis Potosí
as director of San Juan de Dios Hospital.
In 1808, he entered the royal army as a cavalry officer, under the command of Félix María Calleja
. In 1810, General Calleja mobilized the army to fight the rebels under Miguel Hidalgo
, and Bustamante participated on the royalist side in all the actions of the Army of the Center. During the War of Independence
he rose to the rank of colonel and never married.
(a personal friend), Bustamante proclaimed the independence of Mexico from Spain at Pantoja, Guanajuato
. A few days later he removed the remains of the 1811 insurgent leaders from the Alhóndiga de Granaditas
in Guanajuato and had them buried in San Sebastián cemetery.
Iturbide named him commander of the cavalry, second in command of the Army of the Center, and a member of the governing junta. The Regency named him field marshal and captain general of the Provincias Internas de Oriente y Occidente
, effective 28 September 1821. He fought and defeated a Spanish expeditionary force at Xichú
.
At the fall of the Empire in 1823, he joined the ranks of the federalists, for which he was arrested and confined at Acapulco
, but President Guadalupe Victoria
again put him in command of the Provincias Internas.
. He took possession of this office on 1 April 1829, but soon was at odds with Guerrero. On 4 December 1829, in accord with the Plan de Jalapa, he rose against Guerrero, driving him from the capital. On 1 January 1830 he assumed the presidency on an interim basis. Congress declared Guerrero "incapable of governing."
In office, Bustamante removed employees not having the confidence of "public opinion." He instituted a secret police force and took steps to suppress the press. He exiled some of his competitors and expelled U.S. Minister Joel Poinsett. He was involved in the kidnapping and execution of his predecessor, Guerrero. He supported industry and the clergy.
These and other policies stimulated opposition, especially in the states of Jalisco, Zacatecas, and Texas. In 1832 a revolt broke out in Veracruz
. The rebels asked Antonio López de Santa Anna
to take command. When their immediate demands were met (the resignation of some of Bustamante's ministers), they also demanded the president's ouster. They intended to replace him with Manuel Gómez Pedraza
, whose 1828 election had been annulled.
Bustamante turned over the presidency to Melchor Múzquiz
on 14 August 1832 and left the capital to fight the rebels. He defeated them 14 August at Gallinero, Dolores Hidalgo
, Guanajuato
, and then returned to fight Santa Anna, who was nearing Puebla
. After two more battles, the three candidates, Bustamante, Santa Anna and Gómez Pedraza, signed the conventions of Zavaleta
(21–23 December), by which Gómez Pedraza was to assume the presidency and hold new elections. Bustamante was to go into exile, which he did in 1833.
to fight in the War of Texas Independence
. However, once he was back in the country, Congress declared him president (17 April 1837).
With the treasury exhausted and the army depleted by a series of revolts, Bustamante was limited in his military response to crises. France issued an ultimatum on 21 March 1838, and on 16 April began blockading Mexico's Gulf ports. The French declared war on 27 November 1838 (the Pastry War
), bombarded San Juan de Ulúa
, and occupied Veracruz
(5 December).
About the same time, Guatemalan general Miguel Gutiérrez invaded Chiapas
. Bustamante temporarily left the presidency from 20 March to 18 July 1839 to campaign against rebel General José Urrea in Tamaulipas
. Santa Anna and Nicolás Bravo
served as president during this absence.
, arrived. The boundary between Yucatán
and Belize
was established. Treaties were signed with Belgium and Bavaria
, and relations with the United States were reestablished.
On 15 July 1840, General Urrea escaped from prison and led a force against Bustamante in the National Palace. Bustamante resisted, but on the 16th he was forced to flee, accompanied by 28 dragoons. During this siege artillery destroyed the southeast corner of the Palace. He did not relinquish the presidency, however.
About this time a revolt broke out in Yucatán.
In August 1841, Santa Anna and Paredes, military commanders of Veracruz and Jalisco, launched a new rebellion against Bustamante. He turned the government over to Francisco Javier Echeverría
on 2 September 1841. Echeverría lasted only until 10 October, when Santa Anna returned to the presidency.
He lived the latter part of his life in San Miguel de Allende, where he died in 1853 at the age of 72. His heart was placed in the Mexico City Cathedral's chapel of San Felipe de Jesús, alongside the ashes of Emperor Iturbide.
President of Mexico
The President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces...
three times, from 1830 to 1832, from 1837 to 1839 and from 1839 to 1841. He was a Conservative. He first came to power by leading a coup against president Vicente Guerrero
Vicente Guerrero
Vicente Ramón Guerrero Saldaña was one of the leading revolutionary generals of the Mexican War of Independence, who fought against Spain for independence in the early 19th century, and served briefly as President of Mexico...
. Bustamante was deposed twice, and exiled to Europe each time.
Early life
Anastasio Bustamante's father, José María, worked hauling snow from the volcanoes of ColimaColima
Colima is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima....
to Guadalajara
Guadalajara, Jalisco
Guadalajara is the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality of Guadalajara. The city is located in the central region of Jalisco in the western-pacific area of Mexico. With a population of 1,564,514 it is Mexico's second most populous municipality...
but was able to provide his son with a good education. At 15, the younger Bustamante entered the Seminary of Guadalajara. When he finished, he went to Mexico City to study medicine. He passed his medical examinations and then went to San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí officially Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is San Luis Potosí....
as director of San Juan de Dios Hospital.
In 1808, he entered the royal army as a cavalry officer, under the command of Félix María Calleja
Félix María Calleja del Rey, 1st Count of Calderón
Félix María Calleja del Rey, 1st Count of Calderón was a Spanish military officer and viceroy of New Spain from March 4, 1813, to September 20, 1816, during Mexico's War of Independence.-Before the insurrection of 1810:Captain Calleja del Rey accompanied the Count of Revillagigedo to New Spain in...
. In 1810, General Calleja mobilized the army to fight the rebels under Miguel Hidalgo
Miguel Hidalgo
Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla y Gallaga Mandarte Villaseñor , more commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or simply Miguel Hidalgo, was a Mexican priest and a leader of the Mexican War of Independence.In 1810 Hidalgo led a group of peasants in a revolt against the dominant...
, and Bustamante participated on the royalist side in all the actions of the Army of the Center. During the War of Independence
Mexican War of Independence
The Mexican War of Independence was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and the Spanish colonial authorities which started on 16 September 1810. The movement, which became known as the Mexican War of Independence, was led by Mexican-born Spaniards, Mestizos and Amerindians who sought...
he rose to the rank of colonel and never married.
The First Empire
On 19 March 1821, in support of Agustín de IturbideAgustín de Iturbide
Agustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide y Aramburu , also known as Augustine I of Mexico, was a Mexican army general who built a successful political and military coalition that was able to march into Mexico City on 27 September 1821, decisively ending the Mexican War of Independence...
(a personal friend), Bustamante proclaimed the independence of Mexico from Spain at Pantoja, Guanajuato
Pantoja, Guanajuato
Pantoja is a village in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. It was here that Augustín de Iturbide and Anastasio Bustamante proclaimed the independence of Mexico on 19 March 1821....
. A few days later he removed the remains of the 1811 insurgent leaders from the Alhóndiga de Granaditas
Alhóndiga de Granaditas
The Alhóndiga de Granaditas is an old grain storage building in Guanajuato City, Mexico. This historic building was created to replace an old granary near the city's river. Its construction lasted from 1798 to 1809, by orders of Juan Antonio de Riaño y Bárcena, a Spaniard who was the quartermaster...
in Guanajuato and had them buried in San Sebastián cemetery.
Iturbide named him commander of the cavalry, second in command of the Army of the Center, and a member of the governing junta. The Regency named him field marshal and captain general of the Provincias Internas de Oriente y Occidente
Commandancy General of the Provincias Internas
The Provincias Internas or Commandancy General of the Internal Provinces of the North was a colonial, administrative district of the Spanish Empire, created in 1776 to provide more autonomy for the frontier provinces in the Viceroyalty of New Spain, present day northern Mexico and southwestern...
, effective 28 September 1821. He fought and defeated a Spanish expeditionary force at Xichú
Xichú
Xichú is a Mexican city located in the Northeast region of the state of Guanajuato. The municipality is entirely within the Sierra Gorda range and has an area of 912.20 square kilometres...
.
At the fall of the Empire in 1823, he joined the ranks of the federalists, for which he was arrested and confined at Acapulco
Acapulco
Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...
, but President Guadalupe Victoria
Guadalupe Victoria
Guadalupe Victoria born José Miguel Ramón Adaucto Fernández y Félix, was a Mexican politician and military man who fought for independence against the Spanish Empire in the Mexican War of Independence. He was a deputy for Durango and a member of the Supreme Executive Power...
again put him in command of the Provincias Internas.
First term
In December 1828, under the Plan de Perote, Congress named him vice-president of the Republic under President Vicente GuerreroVicente Guerrero
Vicente Ramón Guerrero Saldaña was one of the leading revolutionary generals of the Mexican War of Independence, who fought against Spain for independence in the early 19th century, and served briefly as President of Mexico...
. He took possession of this office on 1 April 1829, but soon was at odds with Guerrero. On 4 December 1829, in accord with the Plan de Jalapa, he rose against Guerrero, driving him from the capital. On 1 January 1830 he assumed the presidency on an interim basis. Congress declared Guerrero "incapable of governing."
In office, Bustamante removed employees not having the confidence of "public opinion." He instituted a secret police force and took steps to suppress the press. He exiled some of his competitors and expelled U.S. Minister Joel Poinsett. He was involved in the kidnapping and execution of his predecessor, Guerrero. He supported industry and the clergy.
These and other policies stimulated opposition, especially in the states of Jalisco, Zacatecas, and Texas. In 1832 a revolt broke out in Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
. The rebels asked Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
to take command. When their immediate demands were met (the resignation of some of Bustamante's ministers), they also demanded the president's ouster. They intended to replace him with Manuel Gómez Pedraza
Manuel Gómez Pedraza
Manuel Gómez Pedraza was a Mexican general and president of the country from 1832 to 1833....
, whose 1828 election had been annulled.
Bustamante turned over the presidency to Melchor Múzquiz
Melchor Múzquiz
Melchor de Eca y Múzquiz was a Mexican soldier and politician. From August to December 1832 he was president of Mexico....
on 14 August 1832 and left the capital to fight the rebels. He defeated them 14 August at Gallinero, Dolores Hidalgo
Dolores Hidalgo
Dolores Hidalgo Dolores Hidalgo Dolores Hidalgo (in full, Dolores Hidalgo Cuna de la Independencia Nacional is the name of a city and the surrounding municipality in the north-central part of the Mexican state of Guanajuato....
, Guanajuato
Guanajuato
Guanajuato officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 46 municipalities and its capital city is Guanajuato....
, and then returned to fight Santa Anna, who was nearing Puebla
Puebla
Puebla officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 217 municipalities and its capital city is Puebla....
. After two more battles, the three candidates, Bustamante, Santa Anna and Gómez Pedraza, signed the conventions of Zavaleta
Zavaleta
Zavaleta is a surname of Basque origin. The Basque are a people indigenous to areas of northern Spain and southern France, an historical region known as Basque Country.- Origin and Meaning :...
(21–23 December), by which Gómez Pedraza was to assume the presidency and hold new elections. Bustamante was to go into exile, which he did in 1833.
Second term
While in exile in France he inspected military and medical facilities. He returned to Mexico in December 1836, called back by President José Justo CorroJosé Justo Corro
José Justo Corro was a Mexican lawyer, politician, and president of the Republic, from March 2, 1836 to April 19, 1837.-Background:...
to fight in the War of Texas Independence
Texas Revolution
The Texas Revolution or Texas War of Independence was an armed conflict between Mexico and settlers in the Texas portion of the Mexican state Coahuila y Tejas. The war lasted from October 2, 1835 to April 21, 1836...
. However, once he was back in the country, Congress declared him president (17 April 1837).
With the treasury exhausted and the army depleted by a series of revolts, Bustamante was limited in his military response to crises. France issued an ultimatum on 21 March 1838, and on 16 April began blockading Mexico's Gulf ports. The French declared war on 27 November 1838 (the Pastry War
Pastry War
The Pastry War was an invasion of Mexico by French forces in 1838.-Background:The war arose from the widespread civil disorder that plagued the early years of the Mexican republic. In 1828, President Manuel Gómez Pedraza ejected Lorenzo de Zavala from the office of governor of the state of México...
), bombarded San Juan de Ulúa
San Juan de Ulúa
San Juan de Ulúa, also known as Castle of San Juan de Ulúa is a large complex of fortresses, prisons and one former palace on an island overlooking the seaport of Veracruz, Mexico.-History:...
, and occupied Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
(5 December).
About the same time, Guatemalan general Miguel Gutiérrez invaded Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
. Bustamante temporarily left the presidency from 20 March to 18 July 1839 to campaign against rebel General José Urrea in Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
. Santa Anna and Nicolás Bravo
Nicolás Bravo
Nicolás Bravo was a Mexican politician and soldier. He distinguished himself in both offices during the 1846–1848 U.S. invasion of Mexico....
served as president during this absence.
Third term
He became president again on 9 July 1839, serving until 22 September 1841. During this term, the first Spanish diplomatic representative to Mexico, Ángel Calderón de la Barca y BelgranoÁngel Calderón de la Barca y Belgrano
Ángel Calderón de la Barca y Belgrano was a Spanish nobleman and politician who served as Minister of State between 1853 and 1854. He was a correspondent of William H...
, arrived. The boundary between Yucatán
Yucatán
Yucatán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities and its capital city is Mérida....
and Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
was established. Treaties were signed with Belgium and Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, and relations with the United States were reestablished.
On 15 July 1840, General Urrea escaped from prison and led a force against Bustamante in the National Palace. Bustamante resisted, but on the 16th he was forced to flee, accompanied by 28 dragoons. During this siege artillery destroyed the southeast corner of the Palace. He did not relinquish the presidency, however.
About this time a revolt broke out in Yucatán.
In August 1841, Santa Anna and Paredes, military commanders of Veracruz and Jalisco, launched a new rebellion against Bustamante. He turned the government over to Francisco Javier Echeverría
Francisco Javier Echeverría
Francisco Javier Echeverría was a Mexican businessman, conservative and centralist politician. He served as president of Mexico in late 1841 for a few weeks.-Early years:...
on 2 September 1841. Echeverría lasted only until 10 October, when Santa Anna returned to the presidency.
Later career
Bustamante again went into exile in Europe, spending time in France and Italy. His aide-de-camp José María Calderón y Tapia, as well as his nephew Andrés Oseguera, accompanied Bustamante in Europe. He traveled widely and sought medical treatment, taking the waters at Contrexéville, France. He returned to Mexico in 1845 to offer his services in the crisis with the United States. In 1846 he was president of Congress. That year he was named general of an expedition to defend the Californias from the United States, but he was unable to reach California for lack of resources. In 1848 he suppressed rebellions in Guanajuato and Aguascalientes.He lived the latter part of his life in San Miguel de Allende, where he died in 1853 at the age of 72. His heart was placed in the Mexico City Cathedral's chapel of San Felipe de Jesús, alongside the ashes of Emperor Iturbide.