The Constitution of Apatzingán, formally ''Decreto Constitucional para la Libertad de la América Mexicana'' ("Constitutional Decree for the Liberty of Mexican America"), was promulgated on October 22, 1814 by the Congress of Anahuac gathered in the city of

Apatzingán Apatzingán (in full, Apatzingán de la Constitución) is a city and municipal seat of the municipality of Apatzingán in the west-central region of the Mexican state of Michoacán. Geography The Municipality of Apatzingán is located in the Tie ...

because of the persecution of the troops of

Félix María Calleja Felix may refer to: * Felix (name), people and fictional characters with the name Places * Arabia Felix is the ancient Latin name of Yemen * Felix, Spain, a municipality of the province Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, ...

. The constitution was valid for insurgent forces in the territories that it controlled during the

Mexican War of Independence The Mexican War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de México, links=no, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from Spain. It was not a single, co ...

Background

After the death of the Roman Catholic priest and revolutionary leader,

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Don Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla y Gallaga Mandarte Villaseñor (8 May 1753 – 30 July 1811), more commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or Miguel Hidalgo (), was a Catholic priest, leader of the Mexican ...

, on June 28, 1813,

José María Morelos José María Teclo Morelos Pérez y Pavón () (30 September 1765 – 22 December 1815) was a Mexican Catholic priest, statesman and military leader who led the Mexican War of Independence movement, assuming its leadership after the execution of ...

from

Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has bee ...

made a call to create a Congress in September in the city of

Chilpancingo Chilpancingo de los Bravo (commonly shortened to Chilpancingo; ; Nahuatl: Chilpantsinko) is the capital and second-largest city of the state of Guerrero, Mexico. In 2010 it had a population of 187,251 people. The municipality has an area of in ...

(now in the state of

Guerrero Guerrero is one of the 32 states that comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo and its largest city is Acapulcocopied from article, GuerreroAs of 2020, Guerrero the popu ...

), whose purpose was to create an independent government. Proclaimed as ''Supreme National Congress'', was installed on September 14, 1813; that same day Morelos announced to the Assembly a program called

Sentimientos de la Nación ''Sentimientos de la Nación'' ("Feelings of the Nation"; occasionally rendered as "Sentiments of the Nation") was a document presented by José María Morelos y Pavón, leader of the insurgents in the Mexican War of Independence, to the National ...

, in which was declared the independence of the Mexican America and establish a government of popular representation with division of powers, forbade slavery and the division of population into castes. On 6 November, same year, the Congress signed the first official document of independence, known as the Solemn Act of the Declaration of Independence of Northern America.

Content

Constitution of Apatzingán was composed of 2 titles and 242 articles, was based on the same principles that the

Constitution of Cádiz The Political Constitution of the Spanish Monarchy ( es, link=no, Constitución Política de la Monarquía Española), also known as the Constitution of Cádiz ( es, link=no, Constitución de Cádiz) and as ''La Pepa'', was the first Constituti ...

but in a modified form, as opposed to the Spanish constitution, provided the establishment of the republican system of government. The most relevant articles were: :1. The Catholic, apostolic and Roman religion, is the only to be profess by the State :2. The power to make laws and establish the form of government that best serves the interests of society, is the sovereignty. :5. Therefore, the sovereignty resides originally in the people, and its exercise in the national representation composed of deputies elected by the citizens in the form prescribed by the constitution. :12. These three powers, legislative, executive and judicial, must not be exercised not by one person, or by a single corporation. :13. Are deemed citizens of this America all born here. :19. The law must be equal for all... :30. Every citizen is deemed innocent until declared guilty. :42. (The provinces of the Mexican America): Mexico, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Yucatan, Oaxaca, Técpan, Michoacán, Queretaro, Guadalajara, Guanajuato, Potosí, Zacatecas, Durango, Sonora, Coahuila and Nuevo Reino de Leon. The Supreme Government, (Executive), was composed of three persons, they would have equal authority and responsibility; same as the government would exercise as an alternative every four months. Their most direct authority, in addition to the executive and administrative nature, were to ensure the protection of the rights of citizens: liberty, property, equality and security. The Supreme Government would be exercised by José María Cos, José María Liceaga and José María Morelos. The Constitution of Apatzingán never really entered into force. Almost a year after it was enacted, his inspiring, José María Morelos y Pavón was imprisoned and was shot on December 22, 1815. So temporary, the royalist troops returned to take control of most of the country, but ultimately could not prevent the ''Mexican America'' independence were to be consummated, first as the

Mexican Empire Mexican Empire may refer to: * First Mexican Empire, the regime under Agustín de Iturbide (Agustín I) from 1821 to 1823 * Second Mexican Empire The Second Mexican Empire (), officially the Mexican Empire (), was a constitutional monarchy est ...

that later became the United Mexican States.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Constitution of Apatzingan Constitutions of Mexico Mexican War of Independence

Constitution of Mexico The Constitution of Mexico, formally the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States ( es, Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos), is the current constitution of Mexico. It was drafted in Santiago de Querétaro, in th ...

Defunct constitutions Independent Mexico Legal history of Mexico 1814 documents

Background

Content

See also

References