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Birth
Santa Anna was born in Jalapa, Veracruz, on February 21, 1794 to wealthy parents. He did not like school or work, but at the age of 16 Santa Anna joined the Vera Cruz Infantry regiment. -
Period: to
1794 to 1810
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Early Military Career
In 1810 Santa Anna was sent to war to fight in the Mexican Revolution. In 1813 his unit squashed a rebellion by brutally killing all the prisoners. Santa Anna continued to rise in power until he was promoted to colonel in 1821 by the Spanish Viceroy. -
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1810 to 1821
1810 to 1821 -
Going up the Military Ranks
In 1821 Santa Anna switched sides and joined the Mexicans to defeat the Spanish. In 1822 he was promoted to brigadier general and made commander of the Vera Cruz province. By age 28 Santa Anna was promoted to the rank of General, and he began to acquire land. -
Period: to
1821 to 1825
1821 to 1825 -
Marriage and Family
In 1825 Santa Anna married and had 4 children. He became bored with family life and went back to the military. By 1827 Santa Anna was back in the military and he was promoted to Division General, the highest rank in the Mexican army. After a victory in 1829 he quit his military assignments. -
Period: to
1825 to 1832
1825 to 1832 -
Overthrowing the Mexican government and becoming President
In 1832 Santa Anna raised his own army and overthrew the Mexican government. In 1833 he was elected the President of Mexico. He went in and out of the spotlight, but eventually established himself as a dictator in 1835. -
Period: to
1832 to 1835
1832 to 1835 -
Period: to
Late 1835 to early 1836
Late 1835 to early 1836 -
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April 1836
April 1836 -
Texans Revolt
A Texan revolt took place in December of 1835. Santa Anna took an army to San Antonio and sieged the Alamo on March 6, 1836. All of the 189 defenders were killed or executed. Santa Anna continued to search for Houston's army. On March 27, 1836, the Mexicans captured Goliad and over 300 unarmed Texan prisoners were massacred. -
Texans Retaliate
On April 21, 1836 the Texan army attacked Santa Anna’s army and won. Santa Anna was captured and forced to sign 2 treaty’s. One recognizing Texas’s independence and the other stating that he would not fight Texas again. Santa Anna returned to Mexico. -
Loosing His Right Leg
In 1838 Santa Anna lost his right leg below the knee in the Pastry War. He buried his leg underneath a cemetery monument during an elaborate state funeral. When his popularity died in 1844, his leg was dug up and dragged through the streets of Mexico City while shouting "Death to the Cripple". -
Period: to
1838 to 1844
1838 to 1844 -
Exile to Cuba 1845
After spending all the governments money, Santa Anna was exiled to Cuba in 1845. In 1846 he convinced President Polk to let him help settle the Mexican-American War. After his release, Santa Anna turned his back on Polk and took command of the Mexican army to fight against the Americans. -
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1845 to 1846
1845 to 1846 -
Last Years
Santa Anna was exiled again after fighting in the Mexican-American war. He came back for a short while in 1853 to 1855 to resume his presidency, but was exiled again, Santa Anna was allowed to return to Mexico in 1874 and he died on June 21, 1876. -
Period: to
1846 to 1876
1846 to 1876
