Santa Anna led the Mexican government 11 times. From 1833 to 1835, he served as president of Mexico four times before becoming an military-backed dictator. Although he fell out of favor after the Texas Revolution, Santa Anna organized a political resurrection and served as president seven more times between 1839 and 1855. Born on February 21, 1794 in Veracruz, Santa Anna enjoyed a middle-class education. After some formal education and a short career as a merchant, he was appointed a member of the infantry.
It was a good fit for him. Although most political careers show a wide range of experiences, it would be difficult to find someone with as many ridges and valleys as the 19th century Mexican president, General Santa Anna. After regaining honor at the famous fall of the Alamo in 1836, Santa Anna felt that her work in Texas was finished. Secret negotiations with Scott failed, and when Mexico City was captured, Santa Anna withdrew into exile.
At the same time, a military coup took place in Mexico City and Santa Anna was deposed from the presidency. After the rebellion, the young officer witnessed Arredondo's fierce counterinsurgency policy of mass executions, and historians have speculated that Santa Anna modeled his policy and conduct in the Texas Revolution based on his experience under Arredondo. Santa Anna participated in several coups d'état during the formative years of the Mexican Republic in the 1820s. Veracruz was the perfect place for Antonio López de Santa Anna to grow up, since politics here was mainly dominated by the merchant class, which is where his family lived.
Santa Anna was married twice, to Inés García in 1825 and, a few months after the death of his first wife in 1844, to María Dolores de Tosta, who survived him. Although he was given the better known name Antonio López de Santa Anna in honor of his father, his full name was actually Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón, he had four sisters and two brothers, but he was closer to his sister Francisca and brother Manuel, who also pursued a military career. López de Santa Anna's other paternal uncle, José López de Santa Anna, was a priest known for his corruption and had problems during the Spanish Inquisition. Antonio López de Santa Anna was exiled several times, but the last time and the time he stayed was in 1855. When Texas declared independence in 1836, Santa Anna personally led a detachment of Mexican soldiers to quell the rebellion.
While the Mexican people loved and widely supported Santa Anna, his presidency was disastrous for Mexico and they lost a lot of territory to the United States thanks to the fight for Texas independence led by Sam Houston and the Gadsden Purchase. Santa Anna quickly gave most of the governing power to her vice president, who launched unpopular and far-reaching reforms of church and state authority. When the liberals of Zacatecas challenged their authority and an attempt to reduce their militia in 1835, Santa Anna moved to crush them and continued her victory on the battlefield with a tough campaign of repression. Despite falling out of favor, Santa Anna had a fortuitous opportunity to redeem herself when the French landed an invading force in Mexico in 1838.
