Antonio López de Santa Anna
The 'uncrowned monarch' of Mexico's turbulent 19th century.
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Antonio López de Santa Anna was a Mexican general and politician who served as president multiple times between 1833 and 1855.[1] He is often remembered in Mexico as a vendepatria due to the loss of Mexican territory to the United States during his rule.[2]
Key facts and history
He lost his left leg when he put himself at the forefront of battle to defend Mexico against French intervention.[3] Santa Anna was captured at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836.[4] He ceded Mexican territory to the United States through the Gadsden Purchase in 1854.[5] Both the First Mexican Empire's establishment and its collapse, as well as the First Mexican Republic's creation and its fall, were significantly influenced by Santa Anna.[6]
The liberal Constitution of 1824 was set aside in 1835 largely through Santa Anna's efforts; he also played a key part in its reinstatement during 1847.[7] President Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada permitted an elderly Santa Anna to come back to Mexico in 1874.[8]
What the research sources say
The "Santa Anna in Life and Legend" exhibit notes that historians have described him as "neither a diabolical dictator nor a benign selfless patriotic patriarch"[3] The San Jacinto Day Reflection account states that Santa Anna married twice, both times to very young women from wealthy families primarily for financial gain.[9] The same source reports that Santa Anna granted lucrative concessions to allies and diverted state funds for personal use.[9] The "A Continental Divide" account describes Santa Anna as an opportunist willing to change allegiances for political expediency.[10]
That source also notes that Santa Anna exhibited a lack of interest in the day-to-day business of executive leadership.[10] The "Santa Anna in Life and Legend" exhibit states that Santa Anna had cult followers called "santanistas" that sycophantically humored him.[3]
References
- Wikipedia, "Antonio López de Santa Anna" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Callcott, Wilfred H., "Santa Anna, Antonio Lopez De," Handbook of Texas Online, Retrieved 18 April 2017.; Howe, "What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815–1848", Oxford Univ. Press, 2007, p. 660; Warren, Richard. "Antonio López de Santa Anna". Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture, v. 5, 48. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Antonio López de Santa Anna" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: quoted in Krauze, Enrique. Mexico: Biography of Power, p. 88.; Costeloe, Michael P. The Central Republic in Mexico, 1835–1846: Hombres de Bien in the Age of Santa Anna. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1993.; "vendepatrias - Wiktionary, the free dictionary", Wiktionary; "Santa Anna in Life and Legend", The University of Texas at Austin (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Santa Anna in Life and Legend", The University of Texas at Austin. facts only, no text reused. exhibits.lib.utexas.edu
- "Battle and Revolution", www.thealamo.org. facts only, no text reused. thealamo.org
- Wikipedia, "Antonio López de Santa Anna" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848)", National Archives, 2021-06-25; Guardino, Peter. The Dead March: A History of the Mexican-American War. Cambridge: Harvard University Press 2017, 88.; "Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations - Office of the Historian", history.state.gov (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Antonio López de Santa Anna" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Central Republic in Mexico, 1835–1846: 'Hombres de Bien' in the Age of Santa Anna", Cambridge University Press, 1993, p. 93–120; Macías, "The History of the Mexican Constitution In Custodia Legis", The Library of Congress, 2011-02-24 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Antonio López de Santa Anna" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Macías, "The History of the Mexican Constitution In Custodia Legis", The Library of Congress, 2011-02-24; "Battle and Revolution", www.thealamo.org; "Santa Anna The Commanders of San Jacinto", San Jacinto 2022; "Santa Anna and the Gómez Farías Administration in Mexico, 1833-1834", Cambridge University Press, June 2, 2017; "Antonio López de Santa Anna History Research Starters EBSCO Research", EBSCO; "Santa Anna in Life and Legend", The University of Texas at Austin (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Antonio López de Santa Anna" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Antonio López de Santa Anna: An Inventory of His Collection at the Benson Latin American Collection", Texas Archival Resources Online (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "San Jacinto Day Reflection: The Complex Legacy of Santa Anna", 2025-04-21. facts only, no text reused. brewminate.com
- "A Continental Divide: The U.S. - Mexico War", The University of Texas, Arlington. facts only, no text reused. sites.libraries.uta.edu
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Antonio López de Santa Anna (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Antonio López de Santa Anna (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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