GUANAJUATO IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY
THE REFORM

Once the War of Independence had come to a close, a provisional government was installed, consisting of 36 members apart from General Agustin de Iturbide, and the Act of Independence of the Mexican Empire was declared.

When the Congress was constituted, Iturbide found out that it was not going to accept him of the government. He found a way round this by having himself proclaimed Emperor Agustin I by Colonel Epitacio Sanchez and Sergeant Pio Marcha on May 17, 1822 and trying to dissolve Congress. The representatives, joined by other figures such as Nicolas Bravo, Guadalupe Victoria and Vicente Guerrero started a movement in Veracruz on December 12 of the same year, uniting practically all the provinces and military forces, forcing Iturbide to abdicate and flee the country on April 11, 1823. Meanwhile, due to differences between the liberal, republican, centralist and federalist factions, Congress was in a deadlock and was dissolved in order to constitute a new chamber of representatives that eventually enacted the first constitution of the United States of Mexico, as it was officially named on October 4, 1842. The Republic was regulated by three branches of power: the legislature consisting of the House of Representatives; the executive, with the president and vice-president, and the Judiciary, with the Supreme Court. Catholicism was made the official religion and the practice of any other was punishable by law. Freedom of the press, of thought and the individual were to be respected. The first elected president was Guadalupe Victoria, with Nicolas Bravo as his vice-president.

In the State of Guanajuato, there was also action on the political front. On February 23, 1829, the citizens elected the Constituent Congress under the leadership of Jose Maria Septien y Montero. At the same time, the sovereignty and independence of the Free State of Guanajuato was recognized.

On June 23, 1824, the Tribunal of Justice was established, on March 6, 1826, the municipal organic law was enacted and on April 14, the Political Constitution of the State of Guanajuato was decreed. Congress named Pedro Otero as interim governor, later replacing him with Carlos Montes de Oca, who was reelected several times.

Following a proposal from Dr. Felipe Vazquez, on May 21, 1824, the representatives decreed that the Congregation of Dolores be raised to the status of villa, appending the name Hidalgo in honor of Father Miguel Hidalgo and in remembrance of its being the first place to witness the rebels' cry of independence.

Similarly, San Miguel el Grande was granted the title of city and had its name changed to San Miguel de Allende in honor of Ignacio Allende, who declared independence at that spot.

With the removal of Iturbide, our country became enveloped in a lengthy crisis, until at last in 1854, conflict erupted between two groups determined to resolve the situation and take power: the Yorkists and Scots, also known as Federalists and Centralists, or Liberals and Conservatives.

The changes in the newly independent nation were continuous: there were more than 30 changes of president and 3 different constitutions. The elections of 1833 saw General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna sworn in as President, with Valentin Gomez Farias as Vice-President. A military man, Santa Anna retired to his Manga de Clavo hacienda, leaving Gomez Farias to look after the running of the presidency from April 1 1833 onwards. For the next couple of years, they took turns in the post, until January 28, 1835.

With Gomez Farias in power and Dr. Mora advising him, important reforms were undertaken: the formation of a body for administering government funds; the suppression of religious orders; state control of public education and the all Church property, and the reform of the military, signaling the end of the army's power and the formation of militias.

In Cuernavaca, in the State of Morelos, a proclamation was made demanding that the reforms be rescinded and calling for Santa Anna's reinstatement. Following the successful outcome of this initiative, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna once more assumed the Presidency in April, 1834, ordering the dissolution of Congress, annulment of reformist laws, disarmament of the civil militias and expelling Gomez Farias, changing the government from Federalist to Centralist.

On October 23, 1835, Congress, which at this point consisted almost entirely of Conservatives, laid the foundations of a Centralist constitution with the so-called Seven Laws. By means of these, state governments were suppressed and replaced by departmental juntas. The changes were felt in the center of the republic too. The State of Guanajuato was relegated from a federal entity to the status of department, meaning that the governor would not be appointed by election, but rather by the President, according to the recommendations of the junta. The Guanajuato departmental junta was installed on March 26, 1837 with authority to propose laws to the Federal Government, but not to dictate them.

Jose Maria Esquivel y Salvago, the last Federal Governor, remained in office for less than a month. His successor, Ignacio Urbina, occupied the post for a little less than two years - from December 6, 1835 to August 26, 1837 - before being replaced by Luis de Cortazar who managed to stay for slightly more than two years before making way for Octaviano Muñoz Ledo, who only lasted from October '39 to February of 1840. Then Juan Morelos took over, until Manuel Gomez Linares succeeded him on May 15, 1842.

Thanks to his friendship with Santa Anna, Pedro de Corazar y Rabago managed to prolong his turn in power from May 1842 to December 1844. In March 1845, the president at the time, Jose Joaquin Herrera, named Juan Bautista Morales as Departmental Governor. Known as Pythagoras' Rooster, Morales only lasted till February 25, 1846, when a new president, Mariano Paredes y Arrillaga, promoted Francisco Pacheco, who was in turn replaced as Governor of Guanajuato by Mariano Chico, the last Governor of the Centralist era.

After the Revolution of Ayutla in 1854, and the ensuing exile of Santa Anna, the Liberals took over the City of Mexico and the Government, with Juan Alvarez as President.

The Governor of Guanajuato, Manuel Doblado, instigated a movement against Alvarez which ended in his resigning the Presidency on December 10, 1855. The following November, the Law of Juarez was enacted by Presidencial decree and seven months later, Miguel Lerdo de Tejada instituted the Law of Confiscation of Church Property. Then on February 5, 1857 the Political Constitution of the new Democratic Republic was finally declared. Federal and representative, confirming the division of the three branches of power, enshrining freedom of opinion, education, the press, labor, to meet and petition and including a faithful copy of the Rights of Man.

In 1858, Benito Juarez was named President of the Republic in place of Ignacio Comonfort, publishing a manifesto exhorting Mexicans to struggle against the enemies of Liberalism and the Constitution of 1857. He also declared Guanajuato capital of the United States of Mexico, bringing about important changes in the state. Meanwhile, the military conflict continued to gather pace, forcing Juarez to move to Guadalajara, then Colima and Veracruz, where he laid down the Laws of Reform. From 1860, the balance of the war began to change in favor of the Liberals, with a significant victory over Miramon at Silao, thereafter rewarded with the title of City of Victory.

On January 1, 1861, General Jesus Gonzalez Ortega entered the capital and returned Juarez to Mexico City to re-establish his government. Meanwhile, in Guanajuato, the Constitution of March 14, 1861 was declared.

Following Juarez' death, on July 18, 1872, Sebastian Lerdo de Tejada assumed the Presidency, with elections being held that same year, until Porfirio Diaz ousted him in 1876. Finally, Diaz took possession of the Presidency on May 5, 1877, remaining in power until 1910.

THE PORFIRISTA ERA

During the period of Diaz' power, known as the Porfiriato, Guanajuato lived through several important changes. Diaz expelled the followers of Jose Maria Iglesias and installed Colonel Francisco Z. Mena as provisional State Governor. A native of Leon, Mena obtained a concession from the Federal Government for the construction of the Celaya-Leon railroad. Moreover, he ordered the construction of three colleges for secondary-level education in Celaya, San Miguel de Allende and Leon.

On September 26, 1880, Manuel Muñoz Ledo, also from Leon, assumed power. He signed a new contract extending the railroad system and communication the state with Mexico City, Guadalajara, Morelia, Chihuahua and Monterrey. The arrival of the railroad transformed the life of the state, making a massive contribution to development in trade and industry, above all in the Bajio. Muñoz Ledo signed the first-ever contract with the Mercantile Bank of Mexico for the opening of branches in the interior of the State, and another with the National Bank of Mexico. At the State College, a degree course in Civil Engineering was opened, as well as the School of Arts and Trades, based in Guanajuato city, and the School of Agriculture.

On May 31, 1885, Manuel Gonzalez became Governor. Originally from Tamaulipas, Gonzalez authorized the commencement of work on the Irapuato-Guadalajara railroad and in 1887 laid the first stone of the Esperanza dam, which was afterwards named in his honor. In 1889, he instituted compulsory primary education and in September of the same year signed the contract founding the Bank of Guanajuato.

Agriculture in Guanajuato during the Porfiriato was centered on the production of cereals, earning the name "Grain store of the Republic". Surplus corn was marketed in San Luis Potosi and Michoacan states, while wheat was sent to Jalisco. Several large farms were also founded at that time: Santa Ana in Leon; San Jose de Parangueo in Valle de Santiago; La Labor in Apaseo; Canario, Calera and Anexas in Yuriria; San Jose del Carmen in Salvatierra; El Cubo in San Felipe; San Nicolas de los Agustinos in Salvatierra; La Venta in Dolores Hidalgo; Jalpa de Canovas in Purisima; Jaral de Berrio in San Felipe, and the biggest, San Cristobal in Acambaro.

The principal economic activity was centered on mining and manufacturing. Chief among the latter were the cotton mills in Celaya and the cotton and thread producers of Salvatierra and Molino de Soria. In Leon, leather goods and shoes were produced, in the villages of El Rincon, decks of cards and straw hats were the products. San Miguel de Allende was a center for woolen cloth production, especially shawls. Apaseo was a source of animal hides, which were taken to Veracruz for export. The other villages and towns were producers of cloth for local consumption.

One notable inhabitant of Guanajuato in the nineteenth century was Ignacio Ramirez. Born in San Miguel de Allende on June 22, 1818, the graduated as a lawyer but also managed to study natural sciences, philology, and scholastic theology. Because of his prodigious knowledge, he was known as The Voltaire of Mexico. He began a career in journalism at the side of Guillermo Prieto and Vicente Segura, taking as his nom de plume "El Nigromante" - the Necromancer. He was persecuted and imprisoned for his ideas, but managed to promote various changes to the law, such as that guaranteeing the autonomy of the municipality. He was named Minister for Instruction and Promotion, instituting important educational and economic reforms. During the reign of the Emperor Maximiliano, he was banished to California, but on his return to the Republic, he was elected to the Supreme Court of Justice as a magistrate. He died on June 15, 1879, in Mexico City.