Fiestas and celebrations throughout the Republic and abroad commemorated Mexican Independence Day last week.
Flags and portraits of Miguel Hidalgo and Jose Maria Morelos were on display at roadside stands and, in schools, the children once again venerated these heroes of the independence movement. But, according to Mexican general and historian Clever Chavez Marin, most of us know only half of the story.
Speaking at a presentation at the prestigious Sociedad de Geografia y Estadísticas (Mexican Geographical Society), Chavez told an audience comprised of city officials, academics and local scholars that Hidalgo merely instigated the call to arms (El grito) on September 16, 1810. He and his cohorts were captured and put to death a year later. The struggle continued long after and was a bloody and vicious one on both sides. In addition, the goal was never to establish a republic as with the French and American independence movements. It was to limit the power of the gachupines or local Spanish leaders and restore the power to the monarchy.
In a new book called “The Consummation of the War of Independence,” Chavez reminds us that the war was begun by amateurs who were violent, disorganized, and, despite a few early strikes, incapable of achieving a final victory. So, who is the true hero of the independence movement and why do we not hear more about him? That was the question examined at the Geographical Society on September 11.
According to Chavez, the real hero was Agustin de Iturbide, a professional soldier who originally fought against the rebels. But in 1820, realizing that it was contrary to his interests and that of the other royalist officers serving in Mexico, he joined the rebel leaders and persuaded several of his fellow officers to accompany him.
His leadership and superior tactics led to the overthrow of the royalist forces and the capture of Mexico City in 1821. However, the Spanish Navy still held the port of Veracruz. It was only after the Mexicans acquired four additional ships that they were able to recapture the Fort of San Juan de Ulúa on September 23, 1825 and put an end to the Spanish presence in Mexico. Ignoring this feat, Chavez says, is to dishonor the Mexican Navy
So why are so many unfamiliar with this story? Because the new Mexican Congress, wanting to avoid the chaos and bloodshed that occurred in France, asked Iturbide to assume power in Mexico as a constitutional emperor. Thus, many histories have accused Iturbide of usurping the revolution. Nothing could be further from the truth.
This was propaganda spread by Joel Poinsett, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, in cooperation with the Scottish Rite Masons who found Iturbide uncooperative when it came to selling off the northern territories to the United States. This fact is confirmed in Poinsett’s personal journals in the Library of Congress.
Iturbide was forced to step down by Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna who joined the opposition faction. As most Mexicans painfully remember, Mexico eventually lost two-fifths of its territory to the United States in the Mexican-American War of 1846-48 (more than one half if you include Texas which Santa Anna lost a decade earlier).
Michael Hogan, PhD, is the author of the best-selling books “Abraham Lincoln and Mexico” and “The Irish Soldiers of Mexico.”