Joaquín de San Martín
Encyclopedia
Comayagua
Comayagua is a city in Honduras, some 80 km northwest of Tegucigalpa on the highway to San Pedro Sula at an elevation of 594 meters above sea level. In 2003 the estimated population was 60,000 people. It is the capital of the Comayagua department of Honduras. The city is noted for its wealth...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
—November 29, 1854, Department of Chalatenango
Chalatenango
Chalatenango can refer to:* the Chalatenango Department in El Salvador* the city Chalatenango in El Salvador...
) was a Salvadoran military officer and politician who was twice chief of state of the State of El Salvador, within the Federal Republic of Central America
Federal Republic of Central America
The Federal Republic of Central America, known as the United Provinces of Central America in its first year of creation, was a sovereign state in Central America, which consisted of the territories of the former Captaincy General of Guatemala of New Spain...
(1832 and 1833-34).
Joaquín de San Martín was a lieutenant of dragoon
Dragoon
The word dragoon originally meant mounted infantry, who were trained in horse riding as well as infantry fighting skills. However, usage altered over time and during the 18th century, dragoons evolved into conventional light cavalry units and personnel...
s in Yoro
Yoro
Yoro is the capital city of the Yoro department of Honduras....
and an official in the governments of Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa , and commonly referred as Tegus , is the capital of Honduras and seat of government of the Republic, along with its twin sister Comayagüela. Founded on September 29, 1578 by the Spanish, it became the country's capital on October 30, 1880 under President Marco Aurelio Soto...
and Nacaome
Nacaome
Nacaome is the capital city of the Valle department of Honduras. It is a manufacturing and commercial center located on the Nacaome River.Nacaome is an old city founded when aboriginal Cholulas and Chaparrastiques, tired of fighting each other, thought it best to join together to build new houses...
. In 1819 he moved permanently to El Salvador, with his wife Joaquina Fugón. He was elected deputy from Tejutla
Tejutla, Chalatenango
TejutlaTejutla is a municipality in the Chalatenango department of El Salvador.Source: Sixth National Census of Population and Housing ....
and Chalatenango, where he held extensive rural properties, in 1824.
He joined the Salvadoran army, and was promoted to colonel. He was magistrate of the Court of Justice from December 24, 1824 to March 1, 1830. By vote of the towns he was elected vice-chief of state under Mariano Prado
Mariano Prado
Mariano Prado Baca was a Central American lawyer and a four-time, liberal chief of state of El Salvador, while it was a state in the Federal Republic of Central America ....
in 1832, and from May 13, 1832 to July 25, 1834 he exercised the functions of chief of state. He left office on the latter date when Prado returned to power. Prado served until July 1, 1833, when San Martín again became president. His second term continued until June 23, 1834.
During his administration, he suppressed the Nonualco Indigenous revolt led by Anastasio Aquino
Anastasio Aquino
Anastasio Mártir Aquino was a Salvadoran indigenous leader who led the Insurrection of the Nonualcos, a campesino uprising in El Salvador during the time it belonged to the Federal Republic of Central America.Aquino was born into a family belonging to the Taytes of the...
. He also dealt with several military revolts. With the aid of Captain Ramón Belloso and his company, San Martín also suppressed the hordes of thieves dominating the country, many of whom had tried to join with Aquino to contest governmental authority. On February 13, 1833, San Martín decreed an amnesty for the rebel Nonualco Indians.
In March 1833, General Francisco Morazán
Francisco Morazán
General Francisco Morazán was a Honduran general and a politician who ruled several Central American states at different times during the turbulent period from 1827 to 1842. He rose to prominence at the legendary Battle of La Trinidad on November 11, 1827...
joined with rebel forces against San Martín. On April 6, 1833 San Martín and Morazán signed an agreement reconciling their differences.
On July 1, 1833 the Congress of the state reorganized the Salvadoran government, making San Martín chief of state for a second time, and Lorenzo González vice chief of state. This election was annulled by the federal Congress. Nevertheless, his second term continued until June 23, 1834. On that date, General Carlos Salazar
Carlos Salazar Castro
Carlos Salazar Castro was a Central American military officer and Liberal politician. Briefly in 1834 he was provisional president of El Salvador, and in 1839 he was provisional president of Guatemala.He was born in 1800 in El Salvador to Gregorio Salazar and Francisca Castro y Lara...
, imposed by Morazán, took over the government.
González was assassinated in his hacienda La Asunción in May 1834. San Martín was condemned to two years of exile and the confiscation of his property. On his return to the country he was deputy to the constituent congress of the state, from 1840 to 1841, and afterwards vice president.
Colonel San Martín distinguished himself as a defender of the law during the tragic days of September 1841, when General Francisco Malespín
Francisco Malespín
General Francisco Malespín Herrera was the president of El Salvador from 7 February 1844 to 15 February 1845.-References:...
staged a coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
and overthrew the legal president, Antonio José Cañas
Antonio José Cañas
Antonio José Cañas Quintanilla was a Salvadoran military officer, diplomat, and politician. For two brief periods he was head of state of the State of El Salvador, within the Federal Republic of Central America ....
.
San Martín died in 1854 at the age of 84 at his hacienda Amayo. His son José María San Martín
José María San Martín
Colonel José María San Martín was born in Nacaome, Honduras to Colonel Joaquín de San Martín and Joaquina Fugón....
was president of independent El Salvador in 1852 and again in 1854-56.