The Many Misfortunes Of General Santa Anna

He was one of the most influential figures in the early years of Mexican independence. But General Santa Anna’s turbulent political career finally went sour after a series of spectacular battlefield defeats.

He Made The Most Of An Opportunity

Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was born in Veracruz state in 1794. Growing up in the steamy region gave him an immunity to the yellow fever that frequently ravaged the area. Based in Veracruz as a young army officer, Santa Anna rose quickly through the ranks as few outsiders wanted to come to the disease-prone region to take command.

Bizarre events Wikimedia.Commons

He Fought Against Independence

When the Mexican War of Independence broke out in 1810, the young Santa Anna initially fought for the Spanish crown against the rebels. But in a move that would become a pattern through his life, he switched sides in 1821 after a high-ranking Royalist officer joined the rebellion. Mexico won its independence from Spain soon after.

Chaos Reigns

The period in Mexico from 1821–1835 was marked by political and economic upheaval. Santa Anna became the governor and virtual dictator or “caudillo” of Veracruz and frequently participated in coups and other complex political maneuverings of that era.

Strongman

After Santa Anna emerged as the president, he and his men violently crushed a rebellion in Zacatecas and other Mexican states. But Santa Anna’s fury soon fell on the Mexican territory of Texas that was now being overrun by American settlers. He quickly pushed north into the Lone Star State.

File:Alamo pano.jpg Daniel Schwen, Wikimedia Commons

Defeat In Texas

Calling himself “The Napoleon of the West” in honor of his lifelong idol, Santa Anna led his men against fierce resistance at the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas. He finally took the fort, but his aggressive strategy cost him horrendous casualties. Santa Anna and his forces were eventually routed by the Texans at San Jacinto. In the aftermath Santa Anna disguised himself but was captured. He had no choice but to give Texas its independence, making the start of a new phase in the history of the Wild West.

He Gave A Leg

The defeat by the Texans cost Santa Anna the presidency as well. But Santa Anna was unbowed. In 1838, he leaped to the defense of Veracruz when French forces landed nearby. The so-called “Pastry War” saw Santa Anna lose a leg. His wounds gave him the boost to his reputation he needed in order to re-enter Mexican politics.

Halibutt, Wikimedia Commons

A State Funeral…For A Leg

Santa Anna’s boundless energy and scheming brought him back to the presidency in 1842. Upon coming to power, the first thing he did was exhume his amputated leg and give it a state parade and funeral ceremony in Mexico City. The leg wouldn’t remain in the ground long, as angry mobs later dug it up in a demonstration against Santa Anna’s rule.

A National And Personal Disaster

The outbreak of conflict with the United States in 1846 brought further calamity to Mexico. Santa Anna made the terrible decision to march his men long distances without adequate supplies. The struggle saw Mexico lose a vast stretch of territory in the American Southwest that had once belonged to Spain. To add to the sting of defeat, US servicemen captured Santa Anna’s prosthetic leg at the Battle of Cerro Gordo. The peg leg now sits in a museum in Springfield, Illinois. The Mexican government has asked to repatriate the false limb back to Mexico without success.

E. B. & E. C. Kellogg, New York and Hartford, Wikimedia Commons

Selling Too Low

Santa Anna returned to the presidency one last time in 1853. He made one final disastrous decision to sell an enormous swathe of Mexican territory to the Americans in southern Arizona. Known as the Gadsden Purchase, it was prime land for a planned railway route. Wanting immediate cash, Santa Anna settled on the paltry sum of $250,000. Santa Anna’s poor dealmaking brought calls for his removal from office, and he soon headed into exile.

Fast-Buck Scheme

Though Santa Anna would be absent for the chaotic events in Mexico in the 1860s, he was far from idle. He brought a shipment of chicle to New York City. Santa Anna believed that the sticky substance tapped from the Mexican sapodilla tree would make a great substitute for rubber. With dollar signs in his eyes, Santa Anna thought he would make a mint from the gooey material and finance his return to power.

Lany-Jade Mondou, Pexels

A Common Everyday Item

Entrepreneur Thomas Adams found the chicle unsuitable as a rubber substitute, but he used the material to concoct the first chewing gum. William Wrigley Jr later adapted the invention to make a fortune selling the Chiclets that we still see—and chew—today. So the next time you pop a piece of gum in your mouth, remember General Santa Anna!

Final Act

Unlike his hero Napoleon, Santa Anna was finally allowed to return from exile as an old man in 1874. Now nearly blind, he breathed his last in 1876. His struggles finally over, the old General was buried with full state honors in Mexico City.