The political and military career of General Anastasio Bustamente (1780-1853)

Abstract

Anastasio Bustamante was born in the modern day state of Michoacan in 1780. He served the Royalist Army during the insurgency (1810-1821). He was one of the first officers to adhere to Agustin de Iturbide's Plan of Iguala in 1821, and a signatory of the Act of Independence (28 September 1821). He was a member of Mexico's first independent government, the Junta Provisional Gubernativa (1821- 1822) and served as the Captain General of the Eastern and Western Internal Provinces during Iturbide's short-lived reign as Emperor (1822-1823). He served as the Commander General of the Eastern Interior Provinces between 1826 and 1829. In 1829 he became Vice-President of the Republic. In December 1829 he led a successful rebellion against the incumbent President, Vicente Guerrero. He served as acting Head of the Executive between 1830 and 1832. In 1837 he was elected President. He occupied this position until 1841. He commanded the troops of the Western Division during the war with the United States (1846-1848). Between 1848 and 1849, he oversaw the pacification of one of the many rebellions of the Sierra Gorda (now the Sierra de Queretaro). He died in Guanajuato in 1853, aged 73. This study examines Bustamante's military and political career. It rejects the traditional interpretation of the General, which portrays him as a weak and indecisive man lacking in any real political principles. Instead, it argues that Bustamante was a resolute and pragmatic leader, who supported the cause of moderate federalism for most of his career.