The Plan of Veracruz was a statement made on January 2, 1832, by the military commander Ciriaco Vazquez. His goal was to remove ministers of the presidential cabinet of Vice President Anastasio Bustamante, who served as head of the Executive Branch of the United Mexican States, and disown this office. Five days later, the real instigator, Antonio López de Santa Anna, "spokesman" of the autonomous protesters adhered to the plan and led an armed uprising. Although initially the plan and uprising were repudiated by most of trimmings and legislatures of the states of the republic, gradually the political and military forces changed their minds and joined the fight against the centralist regime had bustamantista prevailed during administration.
Contents
Historical Context
In 1828, presidential elections favored Manuel Gómez Pedraza. However, he did not take office because of the Plan of Perote and mutiny Acordada who supported Vicente Guerrero. Thus, the Congress, in a clear violation of constitutional order, declared Vicente Guerrero president and Anastasio Bustamante vice president in April 1829. On 4 December the same year the Plan of Jalapa proclaimed, as a result of same, that Guerrero was dismissed from his post and Bustamante assumed the title of Executive Power. Again, Congress violated the constitutional order to officially accept these events. In March 1830, the War of the South was started by the protesters who sympathized with Guerrero and had spoken through Codallos Plan. After several months of fighting, the war ended in victory for the bustamantistas.
The Bustamante regime implemented a centralist policy orchestrated primarily by the Minister of Interior and Exterior Relations, Lucas Alaman. Meanwhile, the war minister, Jose Antonio Facio, began a persecution of opponents, apprehended and exiling those who were considered enemies of the party of "good men". The Finance Minister was Rafael Mangino, and Justice and Grace was Jose Ignacio Espinosa Vidaurre.
Pronouncing
The officers of the garrison of Veracruz and fortress San Juan de Ulua gathered at the house of Colonel Pedro Landero where they agreed to the following:
a) Support the Federal Constitution of the United Mexican States of 1824 as it indicated the Plan of Jalapa. b) demand Vice President Bustamante the removal of all ministers who had implemented a centralist regime and "tolerador of the attacks against freedom". c) They would be commissioned two heads of the garrison to supplicate General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna to take the higher command of weapons. d) It would be the same Santa Anna who would lead the minutes and exhibitions Vice President Bustamante and other authorities.Santa Anna, who was actually the hidden instigator statement, accepted the invitation and began communications with Vice President Bustamante. I posing as a simple spokeswoman general feeling of speeches, he proposed a new cabinet: Sebastian Camacho for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Melchor Muzquiz for the Ministry of War, Francisco Garcia Salinas for the Ministry of Finance, and Valentin Gomez Farias for the Ministry of Grace and Justice. The press severely criticized Santa Anna, whom he compared with the Roman politician Catiline. Bustamante won time negotiating with Santa Anna trying to stop the beginning of a civil war, at the same time, he ordered Facio move a contingent of 4,000 men to the city of Jalapa to halt the rebel advance possible.
On February 24, the rebels seized a convoy with ammunition, money and supplies, near the National Bridge. But they were defeated on March 3 by the forces of general Jose Maria Calderon and Jose Antonio Facio; Santa Anna escaped to Veracruz. Thereafter, he decided to hunker down in the bulwarks port and Fort San Juan de Ulua. His strategy worked to mid-May. José Maria Calderon had to lift the siege of Veracruz because his army had been decimated by rain, heat, mosquitoes and disease.
Reactions and Consequences
Although the plan was disowned, initially, by the garrisons of Toluca, Tejupilco, Puebla, Guanajuato, Queretaro, Michoacan, Tlaxcala, Jalisco, Acapulco, Oaxaca and Aguascalientes, gradually they began accession. On March 10, the garrison of Pueblo Viejo ruled in favor of the plan and took prisoner the commander Ignacio Mora. On the 19th, General Jose Esteban Moctezuma, who had been sent to pacify Tamaulipas- fittings, chose to join the plan to combat the centralist government. Meanwhile, General Manuel Mier y Teran and the governor of San Luis Potosi, Zenon Fernandez began preparing troops to face Moctezuma, in the first instance were sent commissioners to engage in dialogue with the rebels.
The governments of the states of Zacatecas and Jalisco decided to join the Plan of Veracruz, with the option to call Manuel Gómez Pedraza for the presidency and to reverse the constitutional transgressions that were committed. Farias and Garcia Salinas convinced General Ignacio Inclan for it to act in Lerma, but his movement was pacified by Mariano Arista. On May 17, with the exception of Mangino in Finance ministers quit their positions, being the senior officers who become responsible for dispatch; however the press and public opinion felt that everything was a political maneuver, since it was believed that former ministers continue to exercise their duties from their private homes.
In June, General Mariano Martinez de Lejarza took up arms in Tabasco supporting the Plan of Veracruz, and took the state capital posecionándose General Command, managing to repel an attack by the forces of the bustamantistas governors of Yucatan and Chiapas. On June 12, shortly before confronting the forces of Santa Anna and Jose Maria Calderon again, it was possible to sign an armistice in Corral Falso thanks to the intervention of Juan Francisco Bautista Caraza. Government forces returned to Encero and rebel forces to Paso de Ovejas, the National Bridge was as neutral territory.
The government appointed Sebastian Camacho and Guadalupe Victoria as mediators. Manuel Mier y Teran additionally faced Texas settlers who had spoken by the Plan of Veracruz tried to extend the armistice with Esteban Moctezuma, but the latter refused. In a surprise move, Mier y Teran, who was considered a strong candidate for the presidency made the decision to commit suicide on July 3. On July 9, Colonel Antonio Barragan joined the uprising in Valle del Maiz. While negotiations in National Bridge had reached an impasse, in San Luis Potosi, Moctezuma defeated government forces in the Carmelos Well, during this action died General Pedro Otero. Governor Zenon Fernandez was forced to flee to Queretaro.
On August 6, the vice president Bustamante asked for license to the Congress to take command of the army and personally confront the rebellion. The next day, Melchor Muzquiz was named interim president, took formal possession on day 14. A few days later, the state of Guanajuato was declared neutral, Manuel Prieto in Morelia joined the plan, while Sebastian Camacho distanced Santa Anna proclaiming their loyalty to the government of Bustamante. The first company of Chihuahua and the colony of Austin in Texas were in favor of the rebellion. On 12 August, General Juan Alvarez ruled in favor of the plan at Fort San Diego in Acapulco.
In the area of Tulancingo and Zacatlán, General Gabriel Valencia defected to the confidence of Bustamante and joined the rebellion. On September 8, the commander Cirilo Gomez Anaya left the capital to fight it. On September 10, Nicolas Bravo managed to establish an armistice with Juan Alvarez, however, on September 16, the governments of Yucatan, Campeche and Tabasco rose for the delivery of Zacatecas and Veracruz Plan. On September 18 the battle of the Roost was fought, Bustamante managed to inflict a heavy defeat to Jose Esteban Moctezuma, whose army had a total of 2,800 casualties, including dead, wounded and prisoners. Despite having won the victory, the next day, the vice president sent a letter to the Chamber of Deputies submitting his resignation to the title of Executive Power, arguing that in this way any pretext be eliminated to end the war, later he went to San Luis Potosi.
In contrast, on September 29, Santa Anna defeated Jose Antonio Facio in the battle of San Agustin del Palmar, pronounced seized weapons, ammunition park and former Minister of War. A few days later, the victory again favored Santa Anna to confront the commander and governor Juan José Andrade, who had tried to stop the passage of the rebel forces into the capital. After the capitulation of Andrade and decision of Puebla, the interim president Melchor Muzquiz held talks with Santa Anna to avoid war in the country's capital. On November 7, Gomez Pedraza arrived at the port of Veracruz proclaiming peace mediator. After confronting some skirmishes led forces Anastasio Bustamante and Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna signed an armistice on December 11. The civil war in the rest of the country was concluding to spread the news. On December 24 Conventions Zavaleta in which it was established that Gomez Pedraza would be recognized as president and would hold the post until April 1, 1833 were signed.