Democracy or monarchy? 19th-century Mexico struggled for identity

Published March 19, 2023

by Leigh Thelmadatter

Benito Juárez is the only individual to have a federal holiday in Mexico. But he is not the father of his country like George Washington, so why?

Juárez’s time was a few decades post-Independence, during a century filled with coups d’etat, flamboyant personalities and foreign invasions. His secular sainthood comes from a lifetime of struggle and establishing the ideals that would shape modern Mexico — even if they’re not always followed.

The post-Independence century was about what Mexico would be. Would it continue its monarchistic ways (favored by the Conservatives) or would it embrace Enlightenment ideas (favored by Liberals)?

The question began even before the War of Independence started. Napoleon’s invasion of Spain in 1808 horrified the elites of New Spain but also showed that the mother country was not invincible. Miguel Hidalgo’s career as a rebel began by plotting a return of Ferdinand VII to the throne; only later would he demand the ouster of Mexico’s Spanish government.

The Spanish army’s final exit was engineered not by Hidalgo or the mixed-race mestizos who shed much blood but rather by the opportunistic Spanish general Agustín de Iturbide, who would crown himself emperor in 1822. Liberals were appalled, but Conservatives were not happy either; they wanted someone of royal blood.

Less than a year into Iturbide’s reign, he was ousted by then-Liberal Antonio López de Santa Anna, and the 1824 Constitution was adopted. But over time, Santa Anna became more dictatorial, arguing that Mexico was not ready for democracy.

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