Miguel Francisco Barragán Andrade (8 March 1789 – 1 March 1836) was a Mexican soldier and politician who served as interim

president of Mexico The president of Mexico (), officially the president of the United Mexican States (), is the head of state and head of government of Mexico. Under the Constitution of Mexico, the president heads the executive branch of the federal government and ...

in 1836. He had previously served as Governor of Veracruz, and gained national fame for the capture of the Fortress of

San Juan de Ulúa San Juan de Ulúa, now known as Castle of San Juan de Ulúa, is a large complex of fortresses, prisons and one former palace on an island of the same name in the Gulf of Mexico overlooking the seaport of Veracruz, Mexico. Juan de Grijalva' ...

in 1824, through which Spanish military presence was finally expelled from Mexico. He initially was a supporter of the federalist

Constitution of 1824 A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

, but became a partisan of the

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Escoses Party, who strongly critiqued the Constitution, and would eventually transform the

First Mexican Republic The First Mexican Republic, known also as the First Federal Republic (), existed from 1824 to 1835. It was a Federal republic, federated republic, established by the 1824 Constitution of Mexico, Constitution of 1824, the first constitution of ...

into the

Centralist Republic of Mexico 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 () ...

, a transition in which Barragán played a military role. During the Centralist Republic, he was nominated by

Antonio López de Santa Anna Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón (21 February 1794 – 21 June 1876),Callcott, Wilfred H., "Santa Anna, Antonio Lopez De,''Handbook of Texas Online'' Retrieved 18 April 2017. often known as Santa Anna, wa ...

to hold presidential office while Santa Anna went off to fight insurrections against the new constitution, including the

Texas Revolution The Texas Revolution (October 2, 1835 – April 21, 1836) was a rebellion of colonists from the United States and Tejanos (Hispanic Texans) against the Centralist Republic of Mexico, centralist government of Mexico in the Mexican state of ...

, but Barragán's poor health led him to die in office. He was succeeded by his Minister of Justice,

José Justo Corro José Justo Corro y Silva (c. 19 July 1794 – c. 18 December 1864) was a Mexican lawyer and statesman who was made president of Mexico on March 2, 1836, after the sudden death of President Miguel Barragán. During his administration, he ove ...

Early life

Miguel Barragán was born in 1789, in the Valle del Maíz,

San Luis Potosí San Luis Potosí, officially the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí, is one of the 32 states which compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 59 municipalities and is named after its capital city, San Luis Potosí. It ...

. He attended school in the provincial capital and entered the military, and was as member of the Trigarantine Army upholding Agustin de Iturbide's

Plan of Iguala The Plan of Iguala, also known as the Plan of the Three Guarantees ("Plan Trigarante") or Act of Independence of North America, was a revolutionary proclamation promulgated on 24 February 1821, in the final stage of the Mexican War of Independenc ...

. His opposition to the

First Mexican Empire The Mexican Empire (, ) was a constitutional monarchy and the first independent government of Mexico. It was also the only former viceroyalty of the Spanish Empire to establish a monarchy after gaining independence. The empire existed from 18 ...

landed him in prison, but he was released when the Empire fell in 1823.

Governor of Veracruz

The

Provisional Government of Mexico The Supreme Executive Power () was the provisional government of Mexico that governed between the fall of the First Mexican Empire in April 1823 and the election of the first Mexican president, Guadalupe Victoria, in October 1824. After Emperor ...

named him commandant-general of Veracruz in June 1824, and in September he was elected by the Congress of Veracruz to be governor of the province. One of his first issues as governor was to deal with the remaining Spaniards in the Fortress of

and he succeeded in blockading it. He was a staunch supporter of the constitution, and when the State of Veracruz asked its civil servants to swear an oath to the new

, he addressed the public assuring them that their rights and prosperity were now secured in the code they were about to swear an oath to, calling it ‘the dignified result of the patriotic efforts of our founding fathers.’ During his governorship, he passed notable regulations regarding the police, and he attended to his duties without losing focus on the ongoing situation with San Juan de Ulúa. His presence served to contain a revolution that broke out at Sacrificios. He received the American Minister

Joel Roberts Poinsett Joel Roberts Poinsett (March 2, 1779December 12, 1851) was an American physician, botanist, politician, and diplomat. He was the first U.S. agent in South America, a member of the South Carolina Legislature, and later a United States Representat ...

, directing his authorities to attend to all his needs. He also received the minister of the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, Quartel, providing him funds to pay for his board. Meanwhile, Barragán had established communications with the Spanish commander at San Juan de Ulúa, Brigadier Coppinger, through an English intermediary, and on 5 November 1824, the Spanish finally agreed to surrender the Fortress of San Juan de Ulúa. Mexican officials were sent to the fort to further negotiate, and the capitulation was ratified on 18 November. On 23 November, the Mexican flag was raised over the fort. Barragán was awarded by the legislature of Veracruz with a ceremonial sword, and his troops. His name and that of the commanders who had played a key role in the capture of San Juan de Ulúa were inscribed in gold in the hall of sessions, and the term ‘heroic’ was added to the state of Veracruz. Barragán was received with celebrations in Jalapa, and the

ayuntamiento ''Ayuntamiento'' ()In other languages of Spain: * (). * (). * (). is the general term for the town council, or ''cabildo'', of a municipality or, sometimes, as is often the case in Spain and Latin America, for the municipality itself. is mai ...

of that town placed his portrait in the main hall, considering him to be the man who had finally completed Mexican independence. After the capture of San Juan de Ulúa, Barragán returned to his administrative duties as governor. He asked the Ayuntamientos for information about idle lands, with the object of setting them aside for colonization, and he published the British recognition of Mexican independence. He ordered the municipal administration to record all taxes that came from public lands and from bonds be recorded in one file for the sake of accountability.

Role in Revolts

Barragán would now be caught up in the fierce partisan conflicts between the Yorkino Party and the Escoses Party. President

Guadalupe Victoria Guadalupe Victoria (; 29 September 178621 March 1843), born José Miguel Ramón Adaucto Fernández y Félix, was a Mexican general and politician who fought for independence against the Spanish Empire in the Mexican War of Independence and afte ...

was a member of the Yorkino Party while Barragán belonged to the Escoses Party. The former notably advocated an expulsion of the remaining Spaniards from the country. When the federal government sent Ignacio Esteva as state commissioner, Barragán expelled him from the state, which was legally an act of sedition. Barragán was implicated in an Escoses pronunciamiento, asking for the abolition of

secret societies A secret society is an organization about which the activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence a ...

and the expulsion of Poinsett. Colonel José Rincón rose up in Veracruz against governor Barragán. The federal government sent General Guerrero to Jalapa, where Barragán resided and succeeded in negotiating an agreement. Estava was placed as commissioner, and Barragán remained in the governorship, with Ignacio Mora in command of the military. He participated in the , led by Vice President

Nicolás Bravo Nicolás Bravo Rueda (10 September 1786 – 22 April 1854) was a Mexican soldier and politician who served as interim President of Mexico three times, in 1839, 1842, and 1846. Previously, he fought in the Mexican War of Independence, and ser ...

. The insurrection failed, and Barragán was ironically imprisoned at San Juan de Ulúa, which he had captured shortly before, and then transported to the capital to be tried. He was tried together with Bravo, and their previous services to the nation contributed to the clemency that was shown by the court. In the end they were simply condemned to be banished, Barragán for six years. He was able to return to the country in 1829, due to an amnesty passed by President

Vicente Guerrero Vicente Ramón Guerrero Saldaña (; baptized 10 August 1782 – 14 February 1831) was a Mexican military officer from 1810–1821 and a statesman who became the nation's second president in 1829. He was one of the leading generals who fought ag ...

Presidency

During the presidency of

Anastasio Bustamante Trinidad Anastasio de Sales Ruiz Bustamante y Oseguera (; 27 July 1780 – 6 February 1853) was a Mexican physician, general, and politician who served as the 4th President of Mexico three times from 1830 to 1832, 1837 to 1839, and 1839 to 1841. ...

, Barragán was living in San Pedro, near

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

. He was a critic of the Bustamante government and proposed a junta of eighteen notable citizens who could reform the country, leading to Barragán being attacked in the official newspaper. He was named minister of war under the liberal administration of

Valentín Gómez Farías Valentín Gómez Farías (; 14 February 1781 – 5 July 1858) was a Mexican physician and liberal politician who became president of Mexico twice, first from 1833 to 1834, during the period of the First Mexican Republic, and again from 1846 ...

, but he joined Santa Anna when the latter turned on Gómez Farías and overthrew him in April 1834. The State of

Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...

opposed the overthrow of the government and Barragán was sent to gain their adherence along with General Quintanar. It was at this point, in January 1835, that Congress named Barragán as interim President in 1835. President Barragán had to deal with an insurrection in May 1835, led by Juan Álvarez in , urging a return to the federal system. Petitions however came in from

Orizaba Orizaba (, Otomi: ) is a city and municipality in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It is located 20 km west of its sister city Córdoba, and is adjacent to Río Blanco and Ixtaczoquitlán, on Federal Highways 180 and 190. The city had a ...

Toluca Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the States of Mexico, state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. Toluca has a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census. The city forms the core of the Grea ...

, and Jalapa urging rather to move away from the federal system and towards a centralized, unitary system of government. Another federalist insurrection in

Zacatecas Zacatecas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Zacatecas, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 31 states of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Zacatecas, 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas City, Zacatec ...

was pacified, and on 23 October 1835, the congress declared itself to be a constitutional congress. A new constitution was drafted by Francisco Manuel Sánchez de Tagle and

Lucas Alamán Lucas Ygnacio José Joaquín Pedro de Alcántar Juan Bautista Francisco de Paula de Alamán y Escalada (Guanajuato, New Spain, 18 October 1792 – Mexico City, Mexico, 2 June 1853) was a Mexican scientist, conservative statesman, historian, and ...

and was published throughout the nation at the end of the year. Barragán sought to raise funds for the war effort against rebellious Texas, towards which Santa Anna was headed, and he also had to deal with insurrections fighting for the reestablishment of the federal system, led by Jose Antonio Mejia. Another federalist insurrection broke out in

Tampico Tampico is a city and port in the southeastern part of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. It is located on the north bank of the Pánuco River, about inland from the Gulf of Mexico, and directly north of the state of Veracruz. Tampico is the fif ...

in December 1835, but a majority of the garrison remained loyal and commander Gomez was able to reestablish order. The following day three vessels bearing mercenaries that set out from

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

overpowered the fort of La Barra through the betrayal of Commander Ortega, but they were defeated. Barragán passed fierce measures to persecute army deserters and commanded that foreigners and arms being sent to aid the Texans, not be allowed to pass through any of the coastal states. His health, however began to swiftly decline. On his death bed, he was surrounded by friends, servants, and clergy. He died on 1 March 1836, shortly after kissing an icon of Christ, and was buried in the National Cathedral.

Early life

Governor of Veracruz

Role in Revolts

Presidency

See also

References

Bibliography

Further reading