Antonio López de Santa Anna

Who was Antonio López de Santa Anna?

Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón, often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna and sometimes called "the Napoleon of the West", was a Mexican politician and general who greatly influenced early Mexican politics and government. Santa Anna fought first against Mexican independence from Spain, then in support of it. Though not the first caudillo of modern Mexico, he was among the earliest.

He was general and president multiple times over a turbulent 40-year career; he was president on eleven non-consecutive occasions over a period of 22 years. A wealthy landowner, he built a firm political base in the major port city of Veracruz. He was the hero of the Army; he sought glory for himself and his army, and repeatedly rebuilt it after major losses. A brave soldier and a cunning politician, he so dominated his era that historians often call it the "Age of Santa Anna."

However, historians also report that he is "perhaps the principal inhabitant even today of Mexico's pantheon of 'those who failed the nation.'"