Pedro María de Anaya

Early life

Pedro María Anaya entered the world in 1794 in the settlement of Huichapan. He signed on as a cadet with the Regiment of Tres Villas in June 1811, after the Mexican War of Independence had broken out. By 1819 he held the rank of captain, having participated in two dozen battles while fighting for Spain in the Dragoons of Sierra Gorda, his local unit. On 20 June 1821, he changed allegiances and backed Agustín de Iturbide’s Plan of Iguala.

He then received orders to accompany General Vicente Filísola on a march to Guatemala. In 1823 he rose to squadron commander, and five years later he became a lieutenant colonel. Under President Valentín Gómez Farías, Anaya earned a promotion to brigadier general because he stayed loyal to the liberal faction. After that, he took on civilian roles, one being postal service administrator.

During José Joaquín Herrera’s presidency, Anaya held the post of Minister of War from August through December 1845. This was a turbulent stretch when other war ministers kept quitting, afraid to defy the public’s eagerness for conflict with the United States while Herrera pushed a more cautious line. When Herrera’s government collapsed in December 1845, Anaya stepped away from public life, since he disagreed with the policies of President Mariano Paredes.

In 1847, with Gómez Farías back in power, Anaya served as congress president and put his signature on the controversial wartime decree that nationalized church lands.

First presidency

When the Revolt of the Polkos began, Anaya backed Gómez Farías, but Santa Anna stepped in to broker a settlement, removed Gómez Farías, and made Anaya interim president while Santa Anna left to confront the American force that had landed at Veracruz. Congress allowed Anaya to declare the capital under a state of siege, and he struggled against regional loyalties that blocked a unified war effort, as states refused to give their full support and formed pacts among themselves.

After the Americans broke through at Cerro Gordo on the road to Mexico City, Congress gave the president broad powers, but not the authority to sign a peace treaty alone or give away any part of the country, and it declared anyone who tried to negotiate with the Americans a traitor. A commission was formed to keep legislative work going if Congress could not meet. On 2 April, Anaya called a meeting to decide whether to defend the capital if victory seemed unlikely.

The cabinet laid out all the supply and budget problems and backed guerrilla warfare. When Santa Anna came back to the capital, Anaya handed the presidency over to him.

Battle of Churubusco

Anaya enlisted in the military to support the war. Leading a brigade, he defended the Convent of Churubusco, where he drove back an enemy column and was burned by an artillery blast.

He surrendered on orders and was captured. When General Twiggs demanded his ammunition, Anaya replied that if he had any, Twiggs would not be there. Released after the Santa Anna-Scott armistice, he became president again when the government relocated to Querétaro.

Second presidency

When Anaya took over the presidency for the second time, he announced his backing of the federal system, believing it was the only one capable of handling the country's dangerous circumstances. He argued that trying out new political structures at that moment would simply hand Mexico over to its enemies. He promised that both people and their property would be kept safe. Because of a rumor that General Scott’s American forces might push onward to San Luis Potosí, Anaya ordered military preparations.

Meanwhile, Congress passed a rule barring anyone in public office from seizing private property, allowed tobacco farming without restrictions, tried to get rid of the general-commandancies, and picked Aguascalientes as a fallback capital if the Americans captured Querétaro. A number of deputies refused to negotiate with the United States if it meant giving up any territory, but the sessions ended early due to a lack of quorum. The war effort became too disheartening to continue, given the empty treasury, the shortage of weapons, and the loss of Mexico City.

The State of Mexico’s Congress urged the national government not to sign any peace deal until every state had a say. Each state legislature then named two commissioners, with whatever powers the legislature granted, to form a committee and figure out the best path forward. Ramón Adame, the governor of San Luis Potosí, voiced his support for fighting on and objected to any peace agreement. Guerrilla warfare, however, risked harming Mexicans themselves.

To counter this, President Anaya put on a display of strength with sixteen thousand troops under his command. Several governors eventually met in Querétaro but could not settle on a shared plan. The Congress of Chihuahua proposed that the United States take over the thinly populated northern regions, where Indian tribes frequently raided Mexican towns, and in return help protect the border, stop the sale of stolen goods, and prevent weapons from being sold to the tribes.

Did You Know?

• Anaya died in consequence of a violent attack of pneumonia that killed him within hours.
• The restored Santa Anna made Anaya the postmaster, a post he held at his death.