So Far From God (Mexico 1836-'76)

[ComradeOm]

Santa Anna is the first of three towering Mexican figures who would leave a preponderant imprint on their country's nineteenth-century historical experience. His contributions, corrosive perhaps, were quite at variance with those of Benito Juárez and Porfirio Díaz, but they were no less pronounced for he, too, was an event-making man. His intelligence, resolution, and temperament, his sins and ambitions, charted the course Mexico was to follow from the early 1830s to the middle 1860s. Mexican history from 1833 to 1865 constantly teetered between simple chaos and unmitigated anarchy. Victories were only slightly less barren than defeats. The country needed an 'Era of Good Feelings' like that to the north but instead entered a phase of intense mutual recrimination. Nobody seemed willing to admit that some measure of compromise was essential to the system of government that had been inaugurated in 1824. Between May 1833 and August 1865 the presidency changed hands thirty-six times, the average term being about seven and a half months. Santa Anna occupied the presidential chair on eleven different occasions, and his whim was Mexico's imperative. Even when he was out of office he was a powerful force to be reckoned with and a constant danger to the incumbent regime and to anyone aspiring to the succession...

M. C., Meyer, et al, (2003), The Course of Mexican History, (Seventh Ed.), Oxford University Press

[ComradeOm]

So Far From God
The Life and Times of a Good Mexican

"Poor Mexico! So far from God, so close to the United States"
Porfirio Díaz



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Lectures

Theatrical Trailer
One: The Pursuit of Happiness (1794-1824)
Two: A New Republic (1824-'33)
Three: Hail to the Chief (1833-1836)
Four: Fire and Death (1836-'37)
Five: The Triangular Presidency (1837-'42)
Six: Texas and Beyond (1842-43)
Seven: Napoleon of the West (1843-'44)
Eight: The Politics of Anti-Politics (1844-'48)
Nine: To Hell or to Havana (1848-'50)
Ten: As Above, So Below (1850)
Eleven: Children of the Republic (1850-'55)
Twelve:The Civil War in Mexico (1855-'56)
Thirteen: The One and Indivisible Republic (1856-'57)
Fourteen: The Mexican Adventure (1857-'59)
Fifteen: Go East Young Man (1859)
Sixteen: The Returning Hero (1859-'60)
Seventeen: Long Live the King (1860-'61)
Eighteen: North of the Border (1861-'62)
Nineteen: Into the Black (1862-'63)
Twenty: A Good Mexican (1863-'76)
Epilogue

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Illustrated Maps

North America (1836)
Mexican-American War (1842-'43)
Divisions in Mexico (1855)
Second Mexican-American War (1859)
North America (1860)
North America (1876)

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Rulers of Post-Independence Mexico

First Mexican Empire
Agustín de Iturbide (1822-'23)

Republic of Mexico
Guadalupe Victoria (1824-'29)
Vincente Guerrero (1829)
Jose Maria Bocanegra (Interim) (1829)
Pedro Velez, Luis Quintanar, Lucas Alaman (Triumvirate) (1829)
Anastasio Bustamante (1830-'32)
Manauel Muzquiz (Interim) (1832)
Manuel Gomez Pedraza (1833)
Antonio López de Santa Anna (1833-'34)
Valentín Gómez Farías (*) (1834)
Antonio López de Santa Anna (1835)
Miguel Barragán (*) (1835-'36)
José Justo Corro (*) (1836-'37)
Anastasio Bustamante (1837-'38)
Nicolás Bravo (1838-'40)
Javier Echeverría (Interim) (1840)
Antonio López de Santa Anna (1841-'42)
José Mariano Salas (*) (1842)
Valentín Canalizo (*) (1842-'44)
Antonio López de Santa Anna (1844-'46)
Pedro María de Anaya (*) (1846)
Antonio López de Santa Anna (1846-'47)
José Justo Corro (*) (1847)
Antonio López de Santa Anna (1847-'48)
Gabriel Valencia (*) (1848)
José Mariano Salas (Interim) (1848)
José de Herrera (1848-'49)
Ignacio Comonfort (1849-'50)
José de Herrera (1850-'51)
Mariano Paredes Arrillaga (1851)
Juan Álvarez (1851-'52)
Ignacio Comonfort (Interim) (1852)
Mariano Arista (1852)
Juan Bautista Ceballos (1852-'53)

Civil War: Conservative
Felix Zuloaga (1853-'54)
Miguel Miramón (1854)
José Mariano Salas (Interim) (1854-'55)
Manuel Robles Pezuela (1855)
Miguel Miramón (1855)
Felix Zuloaga (1855-'56)
Miguel Miramón (1856-'57)

Civil War: Liberal
Juan Álvarez (1853-1856)
Ignacio Comonfort (Interim) (1856)
Benito Juárez (1856-1857)

Post-Civil War
Juan Bautista Ceballos (Interim) (1857)
Antonio López de Santa Anna (1857-8)
José Justo Corro (*) (1858)
Antonio López de Santa Anna (1858)
Valentín Canalizo (*) (1859)
Antonio López de Santa Anna (1859)
Jose Maria Gutiérrez Estrada (Interim) (1859)
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz (1859-'76)

Second Mexican Empire
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz (1876-)

* Caretaker president installed by Santa Anna

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Recognition

Weekly AAR Showcase (14 Nov 2008)
Character Writer of the Week (09 Mar 2009)
AARland Choice Award: Favourite History Book AAR (Q3 2010)


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So welcome to my fourth AAR and second in these Victoria forums. This will be a history book effort in the same vein of my previous Sins of the Fathers. The format is largely identical but I'm now looking at both Mexico and the individuals that struggled to control its post-Independence fate (as opposed to broad social trends). Of these the onus is most definitely on Santa Anna and this is largely a biography of that most fascinating character. Updates will follow once a week (probably a Saturday) and I'm planning to have less than two dozen in total, not bad for forty years of gameplay

Research-wise I'm drawing largely from Will Fowler's Santa Anna of Mexico and the above referenced Course of Mexico History. I have to thank Director and his excellent A Special Providence for the inspiration to read up on both Santa Anna and, indirectly, Mexican history. Of course I'm certain to get many facts and concepts wrong during the course of this AAR so please don't hesitate to correct me

Of course I'm not going to to let all that knowledge go to waste so the first two or three updates are largely pre-game background. I do hate to throw these on people, and will try to get through them as quickly as possible, but its hard to write a biography while skipping the first thirty years of the subject's life. Similarly I want to capture the chaotic feeling of the first decades of Independence before the narrative becomes too cluttered with broader themes. Besides this should all be unfamiliar to most readers

As for the actual game, I used vanilla Revolutions and OHgamer's hotfixes on Normal/Aggressive. At the time of writing the ending is set in stone so the quote in the opening post may well be adjusted as I go along. Now on with the show...

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It is something of a rule in history that interesting times produce interesting people. The collapse of old orders and certainties inevitably presents new opportunities for those with the will and the wits to seize them. As societies enter a state of flux and chaos it is those who demonstrate audacity, cunning, and, above all, boundless ambition who inevitably rise to the top and make their mark on history. The names of de Lusignan, Genghis, Robespierre, Hitler, and Lenin, all reverberate throughout the centuries and become inseparable from the era in which they lived and acted. Even today we still feel the effects of their deeds and their works continue to divide us as they did contemporaries. The course of Mexican history in the early 19th C is intimately intertwined with the emergence of one of the these fascinating characters - Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón, better known to history simply as Santa Anna of Mexico

[ComradeOm]

Lecture One: The Pursuit of Happiness (1794-1824)

"Great ambition is the passion of a great character"
Napoleon I

Antonio López de Santa Anna was born into a moderately wealthy criollo* merchant family in 1794 Verzcruz, a malaria-ridden port on the Caribbean coast of Spain's most prosperous and populous colony. As a child he grew up amongst a background of political uncertainty in both Mexico and beyond. The turmoil of the First Revolutionary Wars in Europe reverberated around the globe and Spain's colonial possessions watched the impact on the Mother Spain with a mixture of emotions. While the forced abdication of Charles IV in 1808 (in favour of Napoleon's brother) was a critical point in Mexican struggles for independence, the young Santa Anna was more enraptured by the glorious military campaigns of the Emperor Napoleon. The rise and fall of the French Empire was a profound influence on the young child - later in life Santa Anna was delighted to be labelled the 'Napoleon of the West' and he remained an avid collector of Napoleonic memorabilia until his death - and perhaps it was the example of Bonaparte that led him to enrol as a cadet in the army at the tender age of sixteen. This was the natural career path for a middle class youth with little interest or aptitude in the family business or religion. As it happens Santa Anna was a perfect match for army life and he quickly came to enjoy the excitement and camaraderie that can be only experienced in a military unit. The young cadet would have many opportunities in which to test his valour - 1810 saw the beginning of both Santa Anna's military career and the Mexican Wars of Independence. The instability of Europe had finally arrived in the New World

The social revolution of Father Hidalgo (1753-1811) as protrayed by Juan O’Gorman

As with most such conflicts, political revolution was preceded by abortive social revolution. In 1810 the radical priest Miguel Hidalgo (1753-1811) raised an army of poor Indians and mestizos and began to occupy towns throughout Central Mexico in the name of an independent Mexico. The criollos of the political classes were generally supportive of independence, having long coveted the privileges of the Spanish peninsulares for themselves, but the social demands of Hidalgo's peasant 'soldiers' were anathema to them. Despite coming close to seizing Mexico City the peasant army ultimately floundered as its radical social agenda continued to alienate potential allies amongst the propertied classes and the military. Hidalgo himself was executed by Royalist soldiers in 1811 but this merely signalled a new stage in the struggle for independence. Retreating into the dense jungles and mountains of the countryside a number of rebel leaders, including José María Morelos (1765-1815) and Guadalupe Victoria (1785-1843), continued to harass the colonial government in a guerrilla war, ironically modelled on the Spanish campaign against Napoleon. It was in the chaotic environment of this low level and scattered warfare that Santa Anna first distinguished himself while fighting for the Spanish Army in numerous campaigns in both Texas and his native Veracruz. The fighting was often brutal, with prisoners executed out of hand, but promotion followed success on the battlefield for the ambitious young soldier and in 1821 (at the age of twenty seven and after a decade of continuous campaigning) he was granted the rank of Colonel. It was therefore something of a surprise when Santa Anna, by now the most prominent military commander in the province of Veracruz, joined the rebellion and declared himself a devoted servant to the cause of independence

Santa Anna's sudden conversion was somewhat startling, and merely the first of many betrayals, but it wasn't particularly original. Towards the end of 1820 the Spanish Viceroy Don Juan O'Donojú (1762 - 1821) had provided the staunchly conservative criollo commander Agustín de Iturbide (1783-1824) with over three thousand men and a mandate to crush the insurgency raging throughout the countryside. In a daring act of treason Iturbide instead negotiated a truce with the rebel leader (Guadalupe Victoria) and came to head a new independence movement, shorn of the social demands of previous risings. This new, and overwhelmingly conservative, programme (the Plan of Iguala) was popular with many privileged Mexicans and virtually all criollo army commanders. There was a surge of defections from the Spanish Army as many of the latter, including Santa Anna, lost no time in swearing loyalty to the charismatic and forceful Iturbide. In a matter of months the decade long war petered out as the Army of the Three Guarantees** entered Mexico City on 27 September 1821 without opposition and ended three centuries of Spanish rule

Agustín de Iturbide (1783-1824): Hero of Independence and Emperor of Mexico

With the capture of the capital a military junta was established to draw up a constitution for the new government, which was to be a constitutional monarchy governed by a European prince. Naturally Iturbide, as hero of the recent war, was granted a place of prominence on this council but this could not sate his ambition. As the politicians dithered over finding a suitable monarch a raucous demonstration was staged on 18 May 1822 calling for Iturbide himself to be crowned Emperor. The fact that many of these demonstrators were his own soldiers did not stop Iturbide from feeling to necessary to "resign [himself] to circumstances" and accept the crown as a "fresh sacrifice for the public good" †. The following day he appeared before the recently established Congress and, with the backing of conservatives, was named Emperor in what amounted to a bloodless coup. Thus was born the First Empire of Mexico, one of the more farcical political constructs in modern history. Inheriting a nation devastated by civil war and wracked with hardships, the Emperor's circle spent their hours piecing together elaborate codes of court etiquette and protocol. Governance suffered even further, Congress was disbanded within months, and Iturbide's political foes arrested without charge. It is no surprise that the number of republicans in Mexico rapidly multiplied. In a taste of things to come however it was the actions of a young colonel that precipitated crisis - after being chastised by the Emperor for his lethargic campaign against the few Spanish regiments left in Mexico, Santa Anna, ever mindful of the prevailing political winds, reacted angrily and suddenly declared himself for a Mexican Republic (the Plan de Casa Mata). The call was taken up by others throughout the country and, ironically given Iturbide's own past, the army sent to arrest Santa Anna instead revolted and joined his ranks. In February 1823, after a mere ten months in office, Iturbide was forced to abdicate and leave for Europe in exile ††

Santa Anna was still a relatively minor army officer but he had already made a significant mark on Mexican history. The self-proclaimed 'Founder of the Republic' would spend the next decade expanding his powerbase in his native Veracruz but his name was beginning to reach the lips of Mexico City's rich and powerful. The prestige amassed during these formative years would prove invaluable to Santa Anna on his long journey to the presidency

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* Criollo: A caste within colonial Mexico comprised of locals of European descent. These were ranked higher than Indians or mestizos (mixed European and Indian ancestry) but were still considered inferior to peninsulares (Spanish citizens born in Iberia). As such they effectively formed a middle class but chaffed under restrictions that ensured that most prominent positions in colonial government were reserved for Iberians. The criollos were the clear winners of Independence and in the absence of peninsulares, systematically deported over the decades following the establishment of the Republic, they came to dominate Mexican society for the next century

** The Three Guarantees being that an independent Mexico would:
1) Be a constitutional monarchy headed by either the Spanish Ferdinand VII or another suitable European prince
2) Acknowledge the Roman Catholic Church's privileged position within Mexican society
3) Treat all criollos and peninsulares equally

† As quoted in 'Robertson, W.S., (1961), Rise of the Spanish-American Republics as Told in the Lives of their Liberators, New York'; an excellent study of the numerous figures that emerged in opposition to Spanish rule in the Americas. The case of Mexico cannot be studied in isolation and should be placed within wider trends in the collapsing Spanish Empire

†† Iturbide later made the mistake of returning to Mexico in 1824. He was promptly arrested and executed for treason. See "Robertson, W.S., (1952), Iturbide of Mexico, Durham" for a biography of the first and only Emperor of Mexico

[Eams]

This does look very exciting, particularly the possibility of us readers getting to see Juarez and Santa Anna go head to head in the late 1850's.
My only possible complaint is that you didn't make 1810 your point of divergence and had Hidalgo's revolt succeed.

[J. Passepartout]

Exciting stuff. And no complaints about starting well in advance of when the game begins.

[stnylan]

I look forward to another quality AAR. Santa Anna makes a great brooding character to kick things off with.

[robou]

i had read up on this before, but my mind was sketchy and you have really placed it all into shape. Very well written and i will be following this one from the start!

EDIT: Just watched the Trailer.... how do you do it? That was very very cool!

[Cinéad IV]

Fantastic! I'm genuinely looking forward to this. When Om does an AAR, he does them properly

[ComradeOm]

Lecture Two: A New Republic (1824-1833)

"Nothing is too high for the daring of mortals; we storm heaven itself in our folly"
Horace

The euphoria and optimism that accompanied the demise of the Mexican Empire was short-lived as the harsh realities of politics soon reasserted themselves. A republic had been declared but the overriding question was now of just what form the new Republic should take - the centralists (conservatives) argued for a single unitary state governed from Mexico City in the vein of Britain or France; while the federalists (liberals) in turn desired a federal republic, modelled on the United States, in which the balance of power rested with the semi-autonomous state legislatures. It was the latter that was supported by most of the provincial caudillos, and other warlords who had prospered during the previous chaotic decade, as they saw the opportunity to legitimise their powerbases in the provinces. In this there were few stauncher federalists than Santa Anna who, in 1822, led a brief provincial revolt in favour of the government to encourage the Mexico City politicians to decide for the federal charter*. This they duly did, although the influence of Santa Anna's rising was surely minimal, and the Constitution of 1824 established the 23 state legislatures as the principal bodies of governance in the United Mexican States. His duty done, Santa Anna retired, after a brief stint as Governor of Yucatán, to his estates where he would spend the next several years establishing himself as the political boss (jefe politico) and largest landowner of his native Veracruz**. He was thus able to distance himself from the turmoil that would increasingly envelope Mexican national politics

The United Mexican States circa 1830. The distribution of power between the states/territories (pink/tan) and Mexico City was one of the defining features of the post-Independence decades

The (relatively) peaceful life in the (relatively) sheltered Veracruz allowed Santa Anna to concentrate on both administrating his ever-growing estate and building up a base of power that could sustain a campaign for the Presidency. His first marriage**, into a wealthy Spanish family, would provide the initial capital to expand his landholdings and establish himself as a major landowner and employer in the region. Throughout his career at the national level Santa Anna would continually rely on men and money raised from his native province and it was these fruitful years in Veracruz during the 1820s that enabled him to spend much of the next three decades, and beyond, in Mexico City. As an additional bonus, the economic importance of the province granted the Governor the "key and treasury of the country, as Vera-Cruz [sic] is the only port to which strangers come"†. Control of Veracruz's customs house was a powerful weapon unmatched by any other caudillo in the nation. The governorship of Veracruz was finally secured in early 1828 after an open, and at times violent, power struggle the previous year in which he triumphed over his local rival José Antonio Rincón (1776-1846). His time as governor displayed many of the attributes that he would later display in higher office - boundless energy, sound administration, shameless corruption, and a decided populist bent

As Santa Anna tended to his estates, and enjoyed life in semi-retirement, the bitter rivalry between centralists and federalists on the national stage (increasingly associated with the conflict between two competing Masonic lodges) only intensified. The federalist, and hero of the Wars of Independence, Guadalupe Victoria was elected as the first President of the Mexican Republic but while the Republican efforts to heal the country were undoubtedly more earnest than that of Emperor Iturbide they were little more successful. The political crises continued to mount and in 1827 the tensions finally erupted when the Vice-President Nicolás Bravo (1786-1854) led an armed revolt against his own government. Santa Anna was happy to end his retirement by aiding the President in suppressing the rising and it marked his re-emergence on the national stage. Continued military action followed soon after when he participated in the successful revolt that installed Vicente Guerrero (1782-1831) as the first mestizo President†† following Victoria's retirement in 1829. In turn Guerrero cemented Santa Anna's position in Veracruz by guaranteeing his role as both Governor and Commander General of his home province. This would place Don Antonio in the prime position to capitalise on the failed Spanish effort to recover its errant Mexican provinces

An official portrait of Santa Anna commissioned in the early 1830s. Note the impressive collection of medals already amassed at this early stage of his career

It was the Spanish invasion of 1829 that provided Santa Anna with his greatest glory to date. The ill-fated expedition, under General Isidro Barradas, left Cuba with three thousand men and landed in and occupied the town of Tampico on July 28. Santa Anna immediately mustered his own forces and set out to intercept the invaders; by sailing along the coast in a makeshift flotilla he surprised the Spanish a month later with a daring assault on the town. The Spanish ranks had been decimated by yellow fever, something that the local Mexican soldiers were immune to, and soon buckled under repeated Mexican attacks on their positions. On surrendering the surviving invaders were permitted to sail for Cuba while Santa Anna savoured one of his most important victories. The failure of Spain to reconquer its errant colony, despite the pathetic character of the effort, formally cemented the nation's independence and the victor was suddenly transformed into a living legend as his triumph was extravagantly celebrated across Mexico. Feted as the Victor of Tampico and declared Benemérito de la Patria (Benefactor of the Fatherland), states and towns lined up to congratulate and honour the general from Veracruz. Tampico itself was renamed "Santa Anna de Tamaulipas" in his honour and Santa Anna suddenly found himself the most popular man in Mexico. Naturally it was a short step to translating this fame into a position of prominence in national politics as he finally emerged as more than a mere provincial strongman. It was ambivalence of the new hero towards the radical Guerrero presidency that led to its downfall in 1830 and the succeeding regime (headed by the conservative Anastasio Bustamante) was in turn toppled in 1832 when Santa Anna staged another revolt and marched on the capital. It was no surprise that when fresh elections were held in 1833 it was Santa Anna, the hero of the federalists, who was ushered into office by an overwhelming majority. What would the Benefactor of the Fatherland do with the Presidency that he had evidentially craved for so long? Typically what no one had expected… he simply gave it up after a month

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* The Plan de San Luis Potosí of 1822 was largely intended to remind Mexico City that Santa Anna still existed and to speed up the process of formally establishing the structures of the Republic. Its manifesto was heavily federalist and democratic in tone but the revolt quickly came to naught. Amazingly Santa Anna emerged from the resulting court martial proceedings with his prestige only heightened and his national profile enhanced

** Santa Anna's marriage to Inés García was certainly one of convenience and he did not even bother to attend the wedding ceremony himself. Nor did the presence of a wife curtail his notorious philandering. Despite this there was clearly some affection between the two and by all accounts Santa Anna was a good father to his five (legitimate) children. The death of Dona Inés in 1844 was widely mourned throughout the country… even if her widower did remarry within the month

† Quoting a visitor to Mexico as published in the Times of London, 8 September 1829

†† It was during this canny military campaign, in which he consistently outwitted and outmanoeuvred his opposition, that the Mexican press began to label Santa Anna the 'General of Tricks'

[ComradeOm]

Well here we go again. Thanks to all for this initial feedback, I'd forgotten just how nerve-wracking launching a new AAR could be! I probably should have mentioned above that, like real history and Sins, this story will be mostly concerned with domestic affairs. Since Vicky doesn't do domestic politics, at least not on the byzantine scale of 19th C Mexico, and I failed to make any notes for the first fifty years of gameplay, much of the content will be entirely made up by myself. Wars and whatnot will of course unfold as they did in the game

There was an interesting discussion very recently on commenting in AARland. I very much disagree with the stance that every reader should either provide a full critique or not post feedback at all, but I have to admit that it is nice to receive criticism. Having taken another detour into unknown territory (I'm not used to political AARs) some suggestions for improvement are always very welcome

Of course I'm happy to have people commenting at all so don't let that put people off worshipping me as a small god

(As an aside, the opening frame above is Francisco de Goya y Lucientes The Third of May 1808 which has a rather impressive Wikipedia article devoted to it. The map of Mexico is also from Wikipedia)

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Eams: Well we couldn't have a Mexican AAR without Juarez making an appearance. He'll definitely be sparring with Santa Anna at some point in the future

As for an earlier POD, that would be interesting but I want to a) avoid getting 'typecast' by making radical social revolutions the focus of every AAR ( ) and b) keep the attention on Santa Anna. This is really his story

J. Passepartout: Usually I like to avoid long introductions because at the end of the day all AARs are concerned with alt-history. Certainly its a lot easier to keep most people's attention, including my own, when you're off the beaten path. In this case however its unavoidable that I start early but, while the form will not change significantly, I am hurrying towards that crucial year of 1836

stnylan: I'll tell you that it was something of a surprise when I sat down to write a Mexican AAR and ended up with a Great Man biography. Not for the first time either!

robou: I'm glad you enjoyed the trailer. I'll tell you what, give me a week and I'll draw up a quick tutorial on how I made the basic trailer. It'll be a nice extra for the AAR

Cinéad IV: Clearly you were not following some of my earlier AARs

[robou]

A most intelligent man, and knows exactly when to apply force and when not to. I'm sure his desicion to abdicate the presidency was well advised. Looking forward to more Comrade... and thanks for the tutorial when it comes!

[J. Passepartout]

Always hearing about the major mistakes Santa Anna made when dealing with Americans in books aimed at an American audience makes one forget that the man had to get to the point where he could could be making those decisions.

[Eams]

Eams:
As for an earlier POD, that would be interesting but I want to a) avoid getting 'typecast' by making radical social revolutions the focus of every AAR ( )

Hmm, I know of four AARs written by you, including this. The two CK ones about Cyprus/Jerusalem and the bitter frenchman (both of which I have read), and the Vicky one about the papacy. Since neither this nor the CK ones include any social revolutions, I can only assume that you had the pope go communist
As for feedback, more discussion of the characters motives, such as why Iturbide declared himself emperor, was it sheer lust for power or did he honestly yet arrogantly believe that it was in the best interests of Mexico, could help to make this story better.
Not to mention if you focused in the future on to which extent the positions and actions of the characters are motivated by ideology and how much by other factors such as antipathy, greed and so on.

And I agree with Passepartout, it's quite refreshing to read about Santa Anna as something other than an incompetent.

[Ladislav]

im looking forward to the gameplay years! i like your top post graphic. the vicky frame is a nice touch that hasnt gone unnoticed

[Woody Man]

I'm very glad to catch this early on, it's looking brilliant! It will be most interesting for me, as I possess next to no knowledge on Santa Anna, the first few updates have been supremely enlightening!

Write on!

[Capibara]

Excellent! Another Mexican AAR, I really like the format of this one, focusing on Santa Anna will prove very interesting. It has been really interesting so far. Just wanted to point out, in the first chapter, when you mention the ones who continued the Independence movement after Hidalgo's death, you forgot to mention Vicente Guerrero, who was the one who made the truce with Iturbide, not Guadalupe Victoria, including the famous encounter between both of them known as "El Abrazo de Acatempan". Apart from that, everything has been great so far.

[GregoryTheBruce]

Fascinating. I absolutely love the trailer; a tutorial, as you mentioned, would be fabulous! The introduction is fine. I'm an aspiring AAR-writer myself (working on scenario setup, events, and some early writing) in the history-book format, and, thanks to your writing, I've found a little intro beforehand to bring people up to speed on events really helps them understand the main content. The graphics are extremely-well integrated with the text, as well. Nice job on overall presentation and writing!

P.S. The footnotes are cool, but do you know if internal links are possible in posts? Probably not, but having them link to the footnote would be sweet.

[Irenicus]

Will you be playing Santa Anna in-character (coups, corruption and all) or will you do your best in gameplay terms as well?

I admit, while I like to see Mexico succeeds -- I'm something of an underdog fan -- your last AAR with the Papacy was exceedingly entertaining to read despite the fact that your Papacy pretty much destroyed itself with its arrogant follies in the story.

[stnylan]

Well, I see no problem with inventing the politics. Makes for an interesting tale

And now we see Santa Anna get positioned, almost by accident, into the role of national hero and icon. He is very well placed.

[Cinéad IV]

Cinéad IV: Clearly you were not following some of my earlier AARs

I read Sins of the Fathers, that was good enough for me