The Centralist Republic of Mexico (), or in the anglophone scholarship, the Central Republic, officially the Mexican Republic (), was a unitary political regime established in Mexico on 23 October 1835, under a new constitution known as the Siete Leyes after conservatives repealed the federalist Constitution of 1824 and ended the First Mexican Republic. It would ultimately last until 1846 when the Constitution of 1824 was restored at the beginning of the Mexican-American War.
Two presidents would predominate throughout this era: Santa Anna, and Anastasio Bustamante.
The Centralist Republic marked nearly ten years of uninterrupted rule by the Conservative Party. Conservatives had attributed the political chaos of the First Mexican Republic to the empowerment of states over the federal government and mass participation in the political system through universal male suffrage. Conservative elites saw the solution to the problem as abolishing the federal system and creating a centralized one, reminiscent of the political system during the colonial era.
The political and economic chaos that had marked the First Republic, however, continued well throughout the Centralist Republic. Infighting among the conservatives resulted in administrations continuing to be interrupted by successful military coups, and another centralist constitution known as the Bases Orgánicas would be attempted in 1843. Significant political and military agitation for the restoration of the federalist system continued as well. The period was marked by multiple secession attempts across Mexico, including the loss of Texas and Yucatan, and two international conflicts: the Pastry War, caused by French citizens' economic claims against the Mexican government, and the Mexican–American War, as a consequence of the annexation of Texas by the United States.
The Centralist Republic would be followed by the Second Federal Republic of Mexico.
Background
The First Mexican Empire fell in 1823, without having produced a constitution for the newly independent nation. Such a responsibility now fell upon the Supreme Executive Power, which was serving as a provisional government.
The controversy between centralism and federalism first notably emerged during the debates regarding the new constitution, through factions which would eventually become the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party.
Federalism prevailed, through the Constitution of 1824, but the newly established First Mexican Republic proved to be unstable, and presidential administrations were regularly interrupted by military coups. By 1833, the progressive Valentín Gómez Farías was president of the republic, sharing power with Antonio López de Santa Anna, who at this point supported the liberals. The Farías administration however provoked widespread opposition most notably through an anti-clerical campaign. Revolts against the government would continue to flare up and eventually Santa Anna switched sides and supported a successful coup against Farías in April 1834.
History
Santa Anna’s First Period of Rule
Santa Anna dissolved the national congress, state congresses, and replaced state governors and municipal governments with loyalists. He however also maintained that the Constitution of 1824 was still in effect and held elections for a new congress before the end of the year. Santa Anna at this point retired to his estate of Manga de Clavo to rule from the background, as he had during the Gomez Farias administration and he was replaced by Miguel Barragán.
On 23 October 1835, the newly elected bicameral congress decreed to unite and turn itself into a constituent congress tasked with drafting a new constitution. Barragan died of typhus on February, 1836 upon which he was replaced by Jose Justo Corro. Spain and the Holy See recognized the independence of Mexico during the Corro administration. Meanwhile, the resulting centralist constitution which came to be known as the Siete Leyes, and was formally promulgated in December 1836. The nation was reorganized along unitary lines. The states of Mexico were replaced with departments, whose governors were to be appointed by the central government.
Certain regions of the nation however, responded to the new constitution by attempting to secede.
Independence of Texas
On 2 March 1836, after a decade of failing to gain provincial autonomy, Texas declared its independence at Washington on the Brazos. Among the delegates voting for independence was the Mexican liberal statesman Lorenzo de Zavala, who had fled to Texas in the aftermath of the fall of the First Republic.