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Birth
Antonio Lopez was born on February 21, 1794 in Xalapa, Veracruz. His full name is Antonio López de Santa Anna Pérez de Lebrón. His parents were Manuela Pérez de Lebrón (mother) and Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna (father) -
The same year..
In 1810, the same year that Mexico declared its independence from Spain, Santa Anna joined the colonial Spanish Army. It was under commanding officer José Joaquín de Arredondo. He was the one that taught Santa Anna about dealing with Mexican nationalists rebels. -
After Schooling...
After schooling, Santa Anna worked for a merchant of Veracruz. In 1810, he was appointed a cadet in the Fijo de Vera Cruz infantry regiment under the command of José Joaquín de Arredondo. Santa Anna spent the next years battling insurgents and policing the Indian tribes -
Wounded..
In 1811, Santa Anna was wounded in the arm. What caused his wound was a Chichimec arrow. This happened when he was campaigning against Northern Indian tribes. -
Bravery
In 1813, he served in Texas against the Gutiérrez/Magee Expedition. He was seen for bravery at the Battle of Medina. In the aftermath of the rebellion, the young officer witnessed Arredondo's fierce counter-insurgency policy of mass executions. -
Switched Sides
In 1821, Santa Anna switched sides and showed his loyalty to leader "El Libertador:" The future Emperor of Mexico. He rose by driving the Spanish forces out of the port city of Veracruz. After Santa Anna declared his loyalty to the Emperor, Iturbide ranked him as the general as a reward. -
Planning
In 1823, Santa Anna was found among military leaders that side with Plan de Casa Mata. They were planning to overthrow the Iturbide and declare Mexico a Republic. Later, Santa Anna played an important role by replacing presidents Manuel Gómez Pedraza and Vicente Guerrero. -
Governer
1824 was the year that Santa Anna became governor of the state of Yucatan. On his own, Santa Anna planned to invade Cuba. Cuba was still under the Spanish rule, but he possessed neither the funds or the support for an adventure like that. -
Final Attempt
By 1829, Spain made their final attempt to take Mexico again with a force of 2,600 soldiers. Santa Anna took on the Barradas Expedition with a smaller force and made a victory against the Spaniards. People said that he was a “hero,’’ he took that to his own advantage, and then on, he called himself ‘’The Victor of the Tampico.” -
Retired
Santa Anna declared himself retired “unless his country needs him.” He thought that he was needed when Anastasio Bustamante led a group and killed President Vicente Guerrero. Santa Anna became president in 1833. -
Rebellion
The Texas department of the Mexican state went into rebellion in 1835. They declared themselves independent on March 2, 1836. Santa Anna went north to bring Texas back under Mexico’s control. -
Defeated
Santa Anna was defeated after the Goliad massacre. The Texas army was shouting, "Remember Goliad, Remember the Alamo!" Small groups of Texan forces captured Santa Anna that day on April 22. -
Death
Santa Anna died on June 21, 1876. He was 82 years of age. He died in Mexico City and died in poverty.
