¡Por la Patria, Viva México Fuerte! A Mexican TL
- Thread starter Arkhangelsk
- Start date
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- strong mexico
Mexico might have its own version of the Mormon War in TTL, but the territory is much more out of the way for Mexico than it was for the US (who was building a railroad through it). So they might be left off a bit more to their own devices. At the same time Mexico, at this point in TTL, is still a country where Catholicism is still the official and only constitutionally recognized faith; the presence of the Mormons would be a challenge to this. So they might actually end up being a factor pushing Mexico away from the Catholic centered policy.
If there is a Mormon War, I reckon the Mormons will head north into Idaho like in OTL and in TTL they would end up in the nascent Oregon Republic. And they might have every reason to take up its cause, after all they were originally kicked out of the US, and then kicked out of Mexico. Perhaps if they help fund something new they'll be left alone.
Also now that Mexico had a successful filibustering expedition, I'm guessing they might try a second one into Cuba during the American Civil War. And Hawaii is probably ripe for the taking as well.
Razgriz 2K9
Banned
Not just Cuba, they could aim to take up all of New Spain's old claims to the board, considering Mexico is it's successor and all.
Aside from Cube I reckon the rest would be impossible. Most of the former Louisiana territory should be near fully Americanized now, including the American Texas.
But Mexico should be able to take some Caribbean colonies form Spain, and there is always The Philippines.
I do wonder what Arkhangelsk has planed for Japan. If Mexico becomes a Pacific power will it butt heads with its rival as it happened, as it happened in OTL with the US, or more originally will Mexico and Japan be able to split the spoils taken from the Dutch and Britain as they expand in a friendly fashion?
Now, that's something quite different that anyone on this site would have expected from Santa Anna. But alas, that's great!Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna (1794-1858)
Daguerrotype of Santa Anna, 1853
[Something quite different from the usual clichés]
Also, Screwing the U.S. FTW!
P.S.: Did you read the PM I sent to you a long time ago?
Thanks man!
I have after like a million years...sorry
A multitude of RL issues have been preventing me from making any meaningful headway on the TL these last few weeks, coupled with writer's block from hell. With that said, I'm unemployed for the time being, so I have time to dedicate to some quality writing.
Again, apologies for the delay.
End of the Iturbidato and its Aftermath: 1849-1856
Whew! I though I'd never get to post an update on here. Truth be told I hadn't felt all that inspired to write anything new, despite the loads of free time I've had lately. Then a few days ago I began to mess around with some maps and the inspiration hit me. Funnily enough I had originally intended this update to be about Europe...then about the United States. It's cool though, I'm quite happy with the result, hopefully you guys enjoy it!
The First Mexican-American War was a truly costly affair for both nations involved. Much of northern Mexico smoldered in ruin, as nearly all of the three and a half years of fighting took place exclusively on Mexican soil. Indeed, the line of death and destruction wrought ran from the south in Veracruz, through Tejas, Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Nuevo México and Alta California. Entire families, and in some cases even whole villages were shattered and displaced. While some semblance of normalcy returned to these areas after 1850, the extremity of the situation provoked one of the largest demographic shifts in Mexican history.
President Iturbide, not quite the man to pass by an opportunity to take advantage of a tragedy, subsidized the movement of war refugees from the Rio Bravo basin to the “far north” of Alta California. Combined with a program to encourage war veterans to settle the fertile San Joaquin Valley, the region finally saw the gradual establishment of a Mexican presence. This alone, however, was not responsible for Alta California’s eventual entry into the Mexican union on April 21, 1853. That honor belongs to the California Gold Rush of 1851.
In the aftermath of the Mexican-American War, much of northern Mexico was administered by a military junta commanded by General José de Urrea. One of the first issues tackled by the military government was that of the traidores norteamericanos, those American settlers whom had jumped at the opportunity to rebel during the American invasion now seen as traitors. Urrea exercised a relatively merciful hand, offering an amnesty to the rank-and-file rebels, as well as protection for them and their families. By contrast, the majority of the officers whom rebelled faced the option of either exile or execution, with most choosing the former. Acts of violence between the American settlers and Mexicans did crop up, such as the Sacramento Massacre of 1848, but were generally rare. In the end, about half of the settler population would leave, dispersing north into Oregon and east beyond the Cordillera Mexicana.[1]
Suddenly, in late February 1850, gold was discovered in the Rio de los Americanos near Nueva Helvetia, and over the following months the trickle of settlers entering Alta California became a torrent.[2] As news radiated of the gold’s discovery, prospective miners traveled from all corners of the world to claim their own piece of it. The moment Mexico City caught wind of the news, President Iturbide moved to ensure the newfound wealth remained in Mexican hands, and with government encouragement an estimated 50,000-60,000 Mexicans emigrated from the south and the Altiplano between 1850 and 1854. Thousands more would travel from South America, Europe, Asia and the United States (despite efforts by local authorities to restrict Americans from entering the region, over 100,000 miners and immigrants traveled from the United States by 1855).
California gold miners came from all corners of the world
Seemingly overnight, Alta California transformed from a fledgling frontier province into an integral part of the Mexican union, with a remarkable nine-fold population increase (from an estimated 9,000 people in 1840 to over 90,000 by 1855, not counting the 75,000 or so indios). Roughly half of the total miners to enter Alta California arrived by sea, landing at the northern port of Yerba Buena. Its advantageous proximity to the gold fields allowed it to grow rapidly and quickly overtake older population centers such as San José and Los Ángeles. New infrastructure developed, as well as the emergence of new towns all over the new state. The boom finally petered out around the mid-1850’s, though a second gold rush in the northern territory of Sacramento in 1862 brought further development to Mexico’s far north.
Despite its good fortunes following the war, Mexico was not devoid of problems. The political climate in Mexico City was very tense, made worse by sixteen years of Centralist rule, which had turned the capital into a stagnant nest of cronyism and dirty politics. While he was loved by the nation at large for leading it through the war, Iturbide faced an increasingly hostile political environment. To their credit the Federalists (and more recently the Liberals) had always stood against the president, even before his inauguration in 1837. Now with the war over, the president’s opponents rightfully argued he had no more reason to remain in the executive, and they grew more restive at the mere prospect that Iturbide would aim for an unprecedented fifth term. To their surprise, Iturbide agreed.
Some suspected the president sought to save his sinking reputation, keen to preserve his heroic status as the leader who bested the yanqui menace. Most agreed that Iturbide was just too old for the job (he turned 70 in 1853), and rather that he die at his desk a hated man, he agreed to stay out of the 1852 presidential election. The elections themselves proved to be noteworthy, as a clear and robust opposition had formed against the conservative elite that had dominated the country since the 1830’s.
Fifth President of Mexico, Mariano Paredes
The ruling Centralists fielded the multi-term Governor of México Mariano Paredes y Arrillaga. Paredes, who controlled much of the state of México as his own personal fiefdom, carried the support of most Centralist circles, edging out Iturbide’s own Secretario de Hacienda Francisco Javier Echeverría as the party’s leading candidate. Political infighting between moderate and liberal factions of the Federalist Party ensured that the primary Federalist candidate, General Mariano Arista, would lose the elections of November 1852 to Paredes.
While there was a fair amount of Liberal agitation over the course of the Iturbidato (term used to describe Iturbide’s time in power), the 1850’s marked the rise of a new generation of Liberal politicians, and unlike their predecessors, strove to be a real thorn in the side of President Paredes in a manner unheard of during the previous decade. At the core of the Liberal’s demands was the need to modernize the nation. Mexico may have won its bout with the United States, but that victory was anything but a certainty, especially in the early days of the war. Despite the endemic political polarization, most Mexicans agreed on one thing, the United States still posed a real threat to Mexico’s national integrity (what with Mexico only possessing half the territory and population of its northern neighbor), and unless measures were taken to level the playing field, Mexico may not be as fortunate in the future.
General Juan Álvarez
Enter one Juan Álvarez Hurtado de Luna. A veteran of both the War for Independence and the recent war against the United States, Álvarez was particularly notable for his resistance against Iturbide’s inauguration during the revolts of the late 1830’s, rallying much of the Sierra Madre del Sur region against Centralist forces with the aid of fellow Independence veteran Vicente Guerrero.[3] Both men were advocates for the creation of a “southern state” encompassing the coastal regions of México state and Puebla. The idea held considerable sway with much of the region’s population, mostly poor indio and mestizo peasants, whom felt neglected by the northern reaches of the state of México and then-Governor Paredes.
Guerrero was a firm believer in civil rights for all of Mexico’s citizens, as well as the promotion of public education, land reform, separation of church and state, and the development of native industry. Upon his death in 1850 Álvarez took up Guerrero’s mantle. Despite Liberal appeals for immediate revolt against Paredes, Álvarez instead erred on the side of caution, arguing the time was not right to move against the Centralists in such a manner. It’s rather uncertain whether Álvarez knew the direction the wind was blowing or not, but in the months and years after the 1852 election, President Paredes proved to be everything Iturbide was not.
A true conservative, Paredes blocked all attempts at reforming the constitution, going as far as closing the University of Mexico established by President Morelos in the 1820’s, as well as other secular schools throughout the nation, deeming them as “vile nests of liberal contagion.” Perhaps the single most infamous act of his presidency was the cessation of tribute payments to the Comanche, going one step further and insulting them as “savages unfit for the state to waste resources on.” These words, uttered in congress assembled in early 1855, came at a time where most Comanche tempers ran high due to repeated settler incursions into their territory (despite affirmations by previous governments to keep Europeans off their lands), as well as the notion that they were not properly compensated for their services fighting the Americans. Needless to say, Paredes’ actions proved to be the last straw, and in March 1855 the Comanche staged their own revolt in Nuevo México.
Comanche war party on the move
The Comanche struck with little warning, exacting the same punishment on northern Mexico as they had on the American southwest in 1848, sacking Santa Fe and Alburquerque before facing any adequate Federal challenge in northwestern Chihuahua.[4] Further raids into Tejas and Coahuila also sparked resentment in those states over perceived neglect on behalf of the Federal government (both real and imaginary), and by the end of the year many feared the tumults of 1837 were about to be unleashed on the nation once more.
Some called it paranoia, others referred to it as lust for power. Whichever it was, it had overtaken Paredes in the weeks following the Comanche Revolt, as plots and reports of brewing rebellion from all reaches of the republic filtered into Mexico City. He adamantly refused to entertain any notion that the root of the all his problems may have been himself, opting instead to throw much of the blame on Congress, an act which only served to alienate many of his moderate conservative allies. Then on February 11, 1856, Mariano Paredes assumed extraordinary powers and suspended the constitution.
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Notes:
[1] Cordillera Mexicana is the Mexican name given to the Rocky Mountains...at least the parts in Mexican territory.
[2] John Sutter still came to California like in OTL, and like OTL the Gold Rush begins on his land.
[3] The events that lead up to Guerrero's OTL assassination never took place in this timeline, so he gets to live the the ripe old age of 68.
[4] American southwest here refers to Texas and its vicinity.
End of the Iturbidato, and its Aftermath: 1849-1856
Yerba Buena Harbor in 1853
Yerba Buena Harbor in 1853
The First Mexican-American War was a truly costly affair for both nations involved. Much of northern Mexico smoldered in ruin, as nearly all of the three and a half years of fighting took place exclusively on Mexican soil. Indeed, the line of death and destruction wrought ran from the south in Veracruz, through Tejas, Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Nuevo México and Alta California. Entire families, and in some cases even whole villages were shattered and displaced. While some semblance of normalcy returned to these areas after 1850, the extremity of the situation provoked one of the largest demographic shifts in Mexican history.
President Iturbide, not quite the man to pass by an opportunity to take advantage of a tragedy, subsidized the movement of war refugees from the Rio Bravo basin to the “far north” of Alta California. Combined with a program to encourage war veterans to settle the fertile San Joaquin Valley, the region finally saw the gradual establishment of a Mexican presence. This alone, however, was not responsible for Alta California’s eventual entry into the Mexican union on April 21, 1853. That honor belongs to the California Gold Rush of 1851.
In the aftermath of the Mexican-American War, much of northern Mexico was administered by a military junta commanded by General José de Urrea. One of the first issues tackled by the military government was that of the traidores norteamericanos, those American settlers whom had jumped at the opportunity to rebel during the American invasion now seen as traitors. Urrea exercised a relatively merciful hand, offering an amnesty to the rank-and-file rebels, as well as protection for them and their families. By contrast, the majority of the officers whom rebelled faced the option of either exile or execution, with most choosing the former. Acts of violence between the American settlers and Mexicans did crop up, such as the Sacramento Massacre of 1848, but were generally rare. In the end, about half of the settler population would leave, dispersing north into Oregon and east beyond the Cordillera Mexicana.[1]
Suddenly, in late February 1850, gold was discovered in the Rio de los Americanos near Nueva Helvetia, and over the following months the trickle of settlers entering Alta California became a torrent.[2] As news radiated of the gold’s discovery, prospective miners traveled from all corners of the world to claim their own piece of it. The moment Mexico City caught wind of the news, President Iturbide moved to ensure the newfound wealth remained in Mexican hands, and with government encouragement an estimated 50,000-60,000 Mexicans emigrated from the south and the Altiplano between 1850 and 1854. Thousands more would travel from South America, Europe, Asia and the United States (despite efforts by local authorities to restrict Americans from entering the region, over 100,000 miners and immigrants traveled from the United States by 1855).
California gold miners came from all corners of the world
Seemingly overnight, Alta California transformed from a fledgling frontier province into an integral part of the Mexican union, with a remarkable nine-fold population increase (from an estimated 9,000 people in 1840 to over 90,000 by 1855, not counting the 75,000 or so indios). Roughly half of the total miners to enter Alta California arrived by sea, landing at the northern port of Yerba Buena. Its advantageous proximity to the gold fields allowed it to grow rapidly and quickly overtake older population centers such as San José and Los Ángeles. New infrastructure developed, as well as the emergence of new towns all over the new state. The boom finally petered out around the mid-1850’s, though a second gold rush in the northern territory of Sacramento in 1862 brought further development to Mexico’s far north.
Despite its good fortunes following the war, Mexico was not devoid of problems. The political climate in Mexico City was very tense, made worse by sixteen years of Centralist rule, which had turned the capital into a stagnant nest of cronyism and dirty politics. While he was loved by the nation at large for leading it through the war, Iturbide faced an increasingly hostile political environment. To their credit the Federalists (and more recently the Liberals) had always stood against the president, even before his inauguration in 1837. Now with the war over, the president’s opponents rightfully argued he had no more reason to remain in the executive, and they grew more restive at the mere prospect that Iturbide would aim for an unprecedented fifth term. To their surprise, Iturbide agreed.
Some suspected the president sought to save his sinking reputation, keen to preserve his heroic status as the leader who bested the yanqui menace. Most agreed that Iturbide was just too old for the job (he turned 70 in 1853), and rather that he die at his desk a hated man, he agreed to stay out of the 1852 presidential election. The elections themselves proved to be noteworthy, as a clear and robust opposition had formed against the conservative elite that had dominated the country since the 1830’s.
Fifth President of Mexico, Mariano Paredes
The ruling Centralists fielded the multi-term Governor of México Mariano Paredes y Arrillaga. Paredes, who controlled much of the state of México as his own personal fiefdom, carried the support of most Centralist circles, edging out Iturbide’s own Secretario de Hacienda Francisco Javier Echeverría as the party’s leading candidate. Political infighting between moderate and liberal factions of the Federalist Party ensured that the primary Federalist candidate, General Mariano Arista, would lose the elections of November 1852 to Paredes.
While there was a fair amount of Liberal agitation over the course of the Iturbidato (term used to describe Iturbide’s time in power), the 1850’s marked the rise of a new generation of Liberal politicians, and unlike their predecessors, strove to be a real thorn in the side of President Paredes in a manner unheard of during the previous decade. At the core of the Liberal’s demands was the need to modernize the nation. Mexico may have won its bout with the United States, but that victory was anything but a certainty, especially in the early days of the war. Despite the endemic political polarization, most Mexicans agreed on one thing, the United States still posed a real threat to Mexico’s national integrity (what with Mexico only possessing half the territory and population of its northern neighbor), and unless measures were taken to level the playing field, Mexico may not be as fortunate in the future.
General Juan Álvarez
Enter one Juan Álvarez Hurtado de Luna. A veteran of both the War for Independence and the recent war against the United States, Álvarez was particularly notable for his resistance against Iturbide’s inauguration during the revolts of the late 1830’s, rallying much of the Sierra Madre del Sur region against Centralist forces with the aid of fellow Independence veteran Vicente Guerrero.[3] Both men were advocates for the creation of a “southern state” encompassing the coastal regions of México state and Puebla. The idea held considerable sway with much of the region’s population, mostly poor indio and mestizo peasants, whom felt neglected by the northern reaches of the state of México and then-Governor Paredes.
Guerrero was a firm believer in civil rights for all of Mexico’s citizens, as well as the promotion of public education, land reform, separation of church and state, and the development of native industry. Upon his death in 1850 Álvarez took up Guerrero’s mantle. Despite Liberal appeals for immediate revolt against Paredes, Álvarez instead erred on the side of caution, arguing the time was not right to move against the Centralists in such a manner. It’s rather uncertain whether Álvarez knew the direction the wind was blowing or not, but in the months and years after the 1852 election, President Paredes proved to be everything Iturbide was not.
A true conservative, Paredes blocked all attempts at reforming the constitution, going as far as closing the University of Mexico established by President Morelos in the 1820’s, as well as other secular schools throughout the nation, deeming them as “vile nests of liberal contagion.” Perhaps the single most infamous act of his presidency was the cessation of tribute payments to the Comanche, going one step further and insulting them as “savages unfit for the state to waste resources on.” These words, uttered in congress assembled in early 1855, came at a time where most Comanche tempers ran high due to repeated settler incursions into their territory (despite affirmations by previous governments to keep Europeans off their lands), as well as the notion that they were not properly compensated for their services fighting the Americans. Needless to say, Paredes’ actions proved to be the last straw, and in March 1855 the Comanche staged their own revolt in Nuevo México.
Comanche war party on the move
The Comanche struck with little warning, exacting the same punishment on northern Mexico as they had on the American southwest in 1848, sacking Santa Fe and Alburquerque before facing any adequate Federal challenge in northwestern Chihuahua.[4] Further raids into Tejas and Coahuila also sparked resentment in those states over perceived neglect on behalf of the Federal government (both real and imaginary), and by the end of the year many feared the tumults of 1837 were about to be unleashed on the nation once more.
Some called it paranoia, others referred to it as lust for power. Whichever it was, it had overtaken Paredes in the weeks following the Comanche Revolt, as plots and reports of brewing rebellion from all reaches of the republic filtered into Mexico City. He adamantly refused to entertain any notion that the root of the all his problems may have been himself, opting instead to throw much of the blame on Congress, an act which only served to alienate many of his moderate conservative allies. Then on February 11, 1856, Mariano Paredes assumed extraordinary powers and suspended the constitution.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes:
[1] Cordillera Mexicana is the Mexican name given to the Rocky Mountains...at least the parts in Mexican territory.
[2] John Sutter still came to California like in OTL, and like OTL the Gold Rush begins on his land.
[3] The events that lead up to Guerrero's OTL assassination never took place in this timeline, so he gets to live the the ripe old age of 68.
[4] American southwest here refers to Texas and its vicinity.
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And it's back! Excellent!
Bad move on Paredes' part to go that far (geez, I wonder who the inspiration is for that?
Thanks Dan!
Haha yeah I wonder
Luckily for all Santy Anny is preoccupied shooing miners off his ranch in California. Yeah Paredes is really walking on thin ice here, and his latest actions will only make it worse for him.
No worries my friend, this is only the start of many immigration drives into Mexico. I'm currently working on the sequal for the previous update, so y'all get to see what happens to Paredes
I already got the US update started...the Europe update is giving me a real headache though. I'll try my best!Deleted member 67076
Its great to see this return. A pity Mexico can't ever get a break from a crisis happening for more than 10 years.
Thanks dude!I know I've been putting Mexico through the ringer as of late, I will say though that Mexico will get out of this new mess rather easily. Stay tuned, I'm actually almost done with the next update!
You are very correct my good sir. That's the general plan the Liberals have for the country.
Lol right? :\ Though Mexico in this timeline will be relatively dictator free...except for this instance haha...and let us be ever thankful it's not Santa Anna trying his luck at the presidency.
Well, Paredes seems that kinda lost his mind, and the country is headed on a highway to la chingada, which is sad...
Let's hope this gets resolved quickly and without much trouble.
It kinda is, but don't fret my friend, Mexico's latest troubles won't last for too long. Once Paredes is "dealt with," stability will return and Mexico will truly start its rise. I think I've said too much, but that should give you a good idea of what's to come.
That was freaking good Arkhangelsk! Its actually good/refreshing to see Mexico doesn't have it that smooth to go. There are a few things that still need fixing for Mexico to actually work in the long run.
For starters it does need a different constitution (or heavily update/amend the one it started with) and some internal reorganization to achieve true democracy. From what I can tell Mexico is still being run by cuadillo-governors, likely appointed by the President/Congress instead of being elected (as it was early in OTL).
Excellent choice in Paredes being the one to frak shit up, as he did in OTL at the start of the Mexican-American War. From the timeline I assume Mexico will be going through these troubles roughly at the same time the US enters its Civil War.
One thing that worries me is that Mexico's political alignment is set up for it to essentially be ruled by two political-dynasties the Allende (within the Federalistas) and Iturbide (for the centralistas/conservadores). You've already mentioned quite a bit of Allende's son and grandson's military careers and they'll likely pursue a political career afterwards. So a future Allende III presidency is not out of the question and neither would a Salvador/Agustin Iturbide since the family probably enjoyed quite a bit of nepotism during the Iturbidato.
Anyways keep it up!
For starters it does need a different constitution (or heavily update/amend the one it started with) and some internal reorganization to achieve true democracy. From what I can tell Mexico is still being run by cuadillo-governors, likely appointed by the President/Congress instead of being elected (as it was early in OTL).
Excellent choice in Paredes being the one to frak shit up, as he did in OTL at the start of the Mexican-American War. From the timeline I assume Mexico will be going through these troubles roughly at the same time the US enters its Civil War.
One thing that worries me is that Mexico's political alignment is set up for it to essentially be ruled by two political-dynasties the Allende (within the Federalistas) and Iturbide (for the centralistas/conservadores). You've already mentioned quite a bit of Allende's son and grandson's military careers and they'll likely pursue a political career afterwards. So a future Allende III presidency is not out of the question and neither would a Salvador/Agustin Iturbide since the family probably enjoyed quite a bit of nepotism during the Iturbidato.
Anyways keep it up!