Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, a leading villain of Mexican history, was born in Mexico on 21 February 1794, from a lower-middle class family in Xalapa, Mexico, under Spanish colonial rule.
Deciding on a military career, he became an infantry cadet at age sixteen, before quickly rising to the rank of lieutenant helping Spanish military to fight early Mexican independance rebellion. In 1816 he was promoted to captain.
He then switching sides and supported Emperor Agustin de Iturbide, first of many betrayals that would characterize his career, and at one time courted the emperor's sister.
He rose to prominence by driving the Spanish forces out of the port city of Veracruz in 1821. Iturbide rewarded him with the rank of General and appointed him Governor of Veracruz.
In 1823, however, Santa Anna was among the military leaders supporting the Plan of Casa Mata to overthrow Iturbide and declare Mexico a Republic, gaining the support of such true liberals as Vicente Guerrero and Iturbide was forced to abdicate in March.
In 1829, Spain made its final attempt to retake Mexico, landing a force of 3,000 soldiers at Tampico. Guerrero, then serving as president, sent Santa Anna to repeal the invasion. Santa Anna marched against them with a smaller force and defeated the Spaniards, much weaken by yellow fever. Santa Anna announced that he had won an epic victory and found himself acclaimed the "hero of Tampico" and of Savior of the Fatherland.
He then chose to retire from public life, but came back in 1832 serving Anastasio Bustamante to lead a coup overthrowing and killing president Vicente Guerrero.
In the confusion that followed, Santa Anna seized power an was elected President in 1833. At first he had little interest in actually running the country, giving a free hand to his vice-president Valentín Gómez Farías, a liberal reformer. Though Santa Anna dearly loved honors and titles, he found day-to-day business of governing boring and irksome.
Gómez Farías worked hard to root out corruption, which stepped on some powerful toes among the military and wealthy landowners. When these voiced their displeasure, Santa Anna determined that Mexico was not ready for democracy and pronounced himself dictator. He dismissed Gómez Farías, declared the Constitution suspended, disbanded the Congress, and worked to concentrate power in the central government.
The Mexican state of Texas declared itself independent in 1835; Santa Anna marched north to bring the rebellious province back under his control but was routed and captured by separatist forces at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 22, 1836. Santa Anna was forced to recognize Texan independence, on the condition that Texas would remain independent of the USA. Back in Mexico City, a new government declared that Santa Anna was no longer President.
After some time in exile in the United States, in 1837 he was allowed to return to Mexico to retire at his hacienda. Santa Anna was down but not out.
In 1838 Santa Anna saw a chance to redeem himself when French forces invaded Mexico in the Pastry War. Santa Anna succeeded in driving off the French but lost a leg to a cannon ball in the battle. Santa Anna ordered his leg buried with full military honors, and from then on at public events he would ride on horseback holding his wooden leg over his head as a symbol of his sacrifices for his country. Santa Anna became the "hero of Veracruz" and the San Jacinto debacle was forgotten.
Santa Anna retain control of his troops after the French had left, at first supporting Bustamante. On October 6, 1841, Santa Anna rode into Mexico City in a luxurious carriage drawn by four white horses and declared himself once again President.
Santa Anna's second rule was even more dictatorial than the first. To raise money, he exponentially raised taxes and sold phony mining shares to foreign investors. Several Mexican states simply stopped dealing with the central government, Yucatán and Laredo going so far as to declare themselves independent republics.
In December 1844, the treasury dried up and the army was unable to collect its pay. Facing civil war, Santa Anna was forced to resign and accepted to go into exile to Cuba in exchange for a generous pension.
In 1846 the United States declared war on Mexico. Santa Anna wrote to Mexico City saying he no longer had aspirations to the presidency but would eagerly use his military experience to fight off foreign invasion of Mexico as he had in the past. President Gómez Farías was desperate enough to accept the offer and allowed Santa Anna to return, and named him generalissimo of Mexico's armed forces.
Meanwhile, Santa Anna had secretly been dealing with representatives of the USA, pledging that if he were allowed back in Mexico through the blockades, he would work to sell all contested territory to the United States at a reasonable price.
No sooner had he set foot on shore than Santa Anna doublecrossed both side and declared himself president again and unsuccessfully tried to fight off the United States invasion.
Santa Anna went into exile in Venezuela. In 1853 he was invited back by rebellious conservatives, with whom he succeeded in retaking the government.
This reign was no better than his earlier ones. He funneled government funds to his own pockets, sold more territory to the United States, and declared himself dictator for life with the title Most Serene Highness.
Despite his generous pay-offs to the military for loyalty, by 1855 even his conservative allies had had enough of Santa Anna. In 1854 a junta of liberals -- including an up-and-coming young politico named Benito Juárez -- drove him out of office and into exile.
As the extent of his corruption became known he was tried in absentia for treason and all his estates confiscated. He then lived in exile in Cuba, the United States, Venezuela, and St. Thomas.
Santa Anna attempted two political comebacks. In 1864 he returned to Mexico and tried to ingratiate himself with Maximilian by proclaiming himself a monarchist. But Maximilian, more liberal than he has been given credit for, sent him packing. He returned again in 1867, when Juárez was in power. Juárez, who had once been jailed by Santa Anna, returned the favor before again sending Santa Anna into exile.
In 1874 he took advantage of a general amnesty and returned to Mexico. He died two years later in poverty and obscurity in Mexico City.