Santa Anna's Goal: Centralized Power in Mexico

Antonio López de Santa Anna — Mexico's dominant political figure for three decades — sought one thing above all: centralized authority. A soldier-politician who served as president 11 times (non-consecutive), he believed Mexico's chaos — coups, secessions, foreign invasions — stemmed from federalism's fragmentation.

Why Centralization?

• Weak states couldn't raise armies, collect taxes, or defend borders
• Regional caudillos defied the capital
• Texas, Yucatán, Zacatecas rebelled or seceded under the 1824 Federal Constitution

Santa Anna's solution: the Siete Leyes (Seven Laws, 1835) — a centralist charter that:

• Replaced states with departments appointed from Mexico City
• Concentrated executive, legislative, and judicial power
• Restricted voting to property owners
• Catholicism as sole religion

Did It Work?

Short term: He crushed Zacatecas and Texas (initially). Long term: No.

• Texas won independence (1836)
• Yucatán revolted (1839–1848)
• Liberal opposition (Plan de Ayutla, 1854) ousted him for good
• Mexico lost half its territory (1848)

Centralization concentrated power — but without legitimacy, institutions, or inclusion, it fragilized the state. Santa Anna wanted control; he got collapse.