Key Political Statements and Constitutions in Mexican History
The Constitution of Apatzingán (1814)
The Constitution of Apatzingán was based on the same principles as the Cadiz Constitution but was somewhat modified. Unlike the Spanish Constitution, the Apatzingán Constitution foresaw the establishment of a republican system of government. It not only defended the principle of popular sovereignty but also the right of the people to change their government at will.
The Ayutla Plan (1854)
The Ayutla Plan was a political statement proclaimed by Florencio Villarreal, with support from the liberals John N. Álvarez and Ignacio Comonfort, on March 1, 1854, in Ayutla, Guerrero. It was intended to put an end to the dictatorship of Antonio López de Santa Anna.
The Tacubaya Plan (1857)
The Tacubaya Plan was a political statement made by the conservative Mexican General Félix María Zuloaga on December 17, 1857, in Tacubaya, Federal District of Mexico, on behalf of the military garrison. The proclamation was intended to abrogate the Constitution of 1857 and consisted of three points and six articles.
The Plan of Casa Mata (1823)
The Plan of Casa Mata was proclaimed in February 1823 by Antonio López de Santa Anna, who was later joined by Vicente Guerrero, Nicolás Bravo, and imperial army chiefs (Iturbide’s own army) such as Echávarri, Cortazar, and Lobato. It intended to reinstall the congress and declare the rule invalid, not recognizing Iturbide as Emperor of Mexico.
The Constitution of 1857
The Constitution of 1857 consisted of 8 titles and 128 articles. It was similar to the Magna Carta of 1824 and introduced a new federalism and a representative republic, which consisted of twenty-five states, one territory, and the federal district. It supported the autonomy of the municipalities into which each state is politically divided. The most relevant articles were:
- Abolition of slavery.
- Free tuition (no limit for the dogma).
- Freedom of vocation, a ban on contracts with loss of freedom for the sake of work, education, or religious vote.
- Freedom of expression.
- Freedom to bear arms.
- Prohibition of privileges to individuals or institutions, elimination of special courts (Law Juárez).
- No recognized titles.
- Prohibition of penalties for mutilation, beatings, and torture of any kind.
- Abolition of the death penalty, reserved only for traitors to their country, highway robbers, arsonists, parricides, and homicides with the aggravating circumstance of treachery, premeditation, or advantage, and crimes of the military or piracy.
- No civil or ecclesiastical corporation is capable of acquiring or managing real estate, except for the buildings to service or object of the institution (forerunner of the Lerdo Law).
- Definition of Mexican nationality.
- Obligations of Mexicans.
- Obligations of citizens.
- The sovereignty of the dynamism of the nation.
- Division of powers: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial.
- Prohibition and internal customs checkpoints.
- Inviolability of the Constitution.
The Constituent Congress of Mexico (1916-1917)
The Constituent Congress of Mexico in 1917 was the elected body to draft a new constitution for Mexico. It was in office from December 1, 1916, to January 31, 1917, and its headquarters was the Gran Teatro Iturbide (today Teatro de la República) in the city of Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro. On February 5, 1917, it officially promulgated the Constitution of the United Mexican States, which is in force until today.
Other Key Terms
- A triumvirate is a form of government by three persons allied with each other.
- Juárez Law: Started when the Conservative General Félix Zuloaga announced the Tacubaya Plan, which demanded the abrogation of the Constitution of 1857.
- Churches: It prohibited the charging of fees and parochial rates, which hitherto required the priests to the poor.
- Florencio Villarreal: Proclaimed the Ayutla Plan.