Santa Anna of Mexico [Paperback]

Will Fowler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2009

Antonio López de Santa Anna (1794–1876) is one of the most famous, and infamous, figures in Mexican history. Six times the country’s president, he is consistently depicted as a traitor, a turncoat, and a tyrant—the exclusive cause of all of Mexico’s misfortunes following the country’s independence from Spain. He is also, as this biography makes clear, grossly misrepresented.

 

Will Fowler provides a revised picture of Santa Anna’s life, offering new insights into his activities in his bailiwick of Veracruz and in his numerous military engagements. The Santa Anna who emerges from this book is an intelligent, dynamic, yet reluctant leader, ingeniously deceptive at times, courageous and patriotic at others. His extraordinary story is that of a middle-class provincial criollo, a high-ranking officer, an arbitrator, a dedicated landowner, and a political leader who tried to prosper personally and help his country develop at a time of severe and repeated crises, as the colony that was New Spain gave way to a young, troubled, besieged, and beleaguered Mexican nation.

 

 

(20071115)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Drawing on archives in Mexico, Spain, Britain, and Texas as well as published sources, Fowler supplies a much-needed corrective to existing impressions of Santa Anna with this balanced and well-written work."—Library Journal

(Stephen H. Peters Library Journal 20081101)

"Building on recent historiography, this is a breakthrough study of Santa Anna."—S. F. Voss, Choice

(S. F. Voss Choice 20080130)

"[Santa Anna of Mexico] is carefully documented and well-written. Historians of Mexico on both sides of the border should read this excellent effort."—Joseph A. Stout, Jr., Journal of Arizona History

(Joseph A. Stout, Jr. Journal of Arizona History 20091119)

“Superb. . . . Fowler has produced an elegantly-written and engaging study about one of Mexico’s most notorious and misunderstood leaders. His evenhanded assessment of Santa Anna as more than just a power-hungry, opportunistic, and corrupt politician makes this biography a most welcome and valuable addition to Mexican historiography.”—Journal of Military History

(Journal of Military History )

"This reevalution of Antonio López de Santa Anna is long overdue given the sophistication of our understanding of Mexico''s turbulent decades following independence in 1810. . . .This biography will become obligatory text for students of the period that will also hold the attention of the casual reader."—Michael Ducey, A Contracorriente

(Michael Ducey A Contracorriente )

"Fowler has written an unsurpassed biography of one of Mexico''s most famous leaders. Everyone with an interest in Mexican history should read it."—Donald F. Stevens, Journal of Latin American Studies

(Donald F. Stevens Journal of Latin American Studies )

"This biography is a marvellous introduction to Santa Anna''s life and times."—Matthew Brown, Bulletin of Latin American Research

(Matthew Brown Bulletin of Latin American Research )

"Santa Ann of Mexico is a well-research and clearly written biography that provides an appreciation for the political complexity and volatility of Mexico and the man who led the nation during this turbulent period."—Ana Luisa Martinez-Catsam, Journal of Southern History

 

(Ana Luisa Martinez-Catsam Journal of Southern History )

"This is a detailed biography for those with a passion for Mexican history, Texas history and American relations with Mexico."—Cmdr. Youssef Aboul-Enein, Waterline

(Cmdr. Youssef Aboul-Enein Waterline )

"In this compelling biography of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, the author sets the record straight about the man who served Mexico six times as president yet is vilified today as a tyrant and traitor to his country."—Patricia L.P. Thompson, Historian

(Patricia L.P. Thompson Historian )

"Fowler''s balanced and well-researched biography of Santa Anna correctly adds nuance to the existing black legend of Mexico''s favorite villain."—Andrae M. Marak, Journal of the West

(Andrae M. Marak Journal of the West )

“There have been many other biographies of Santa Anna, both by Anglophone and Mexican scholars, but none as balanced or revisionist in tone as Fowler’s. He seeks to look at Santa Anna ‘warts and all’ in a searching way in which few authors of even longer works have done. This book will be an important contribution to the field because it gives us a compelling narrative that is scrupulously researched and nicely written. . . . Fowler’s bibliography constitutes an excellent entry-point into the historiography on the Santa Anna period.”—Eric Van Young, author of The Other Rebellion: Popular Violence, Ideology, and the Mexican Struggle for Independence, 1810–1821

(Eric Van Young )

“Assessing the many findings made in the last thirty years of historiography on the topic, Fowler develops a persuasive new understanding of Santa Anna and the problems that beset the then-young Mexican republic. Fowler’s writing style is eloquent, rigorous, and accessible. He articulates complex ideas with clarity and simplicity, and establishes clear connections between themes. The text is an enjoyable read—and one which is sure to make an important contribution to Mexican historiography.”—Abdiel Oñate, professor of history at San Francisco State University

(Abdiel O�ate )

About the Author

Will Fowler is a professor of Latin American studies at the University of St. Andrews. His books include Mexico in the Age of Proposals, 1821–1853; Tornel and Santa Anna: The Writer and the Caudillo, Mexico, 1795–1853; and Latin America since 1780.

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books (November 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803226381
• ISBN-13: 978-0803226388
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #279,377 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential to Understanding "Los Años Olvidados", February 27, 2008

By 

tejasjj "tejasjj" (Friendswood, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Santa Anna of Mexico (Hardcover)

At long last, a dispassionate, balanced biography of Antonio López de Santa Anna is available that is informed by the last thirty years of historiographical advances in nineteenth century Mexican history. Santa Anna of Mexico, written by Will Fowler, one of the leading Anglophone interpreters of nineteenth century Mexico, provides the reader with a new perspective that chips away at the barnacles of the Black Legend that for over 150 years have encrusted the "leader all Mexicans (and Texans) love to hate."

Faced with internal division as a result of provinces not yet fully integrated and external adversaries that lusted after territory and markets, Mexico's journey toward forging nation would be prolonged, painful and problematic. In Fowler's hands, Santa Anna emerges as a man of his time when Mexico was making this painful journey of trying to define herself as a nation and create a hegemonic state that could govern and at the same time defend its territorial integrity. Consequently, it was a time of experimentation or as Fowler states a time for varying proposals. During this "Age of Proposals", (for a detailed look at this era, see Fowler's Mexico in the Age of Proposals) Santa Anna was one of many struggling to find ways of assimilating heterogeneous cultures and integrating legitimate claims from Mexico's far-flung provinces under a suitable governing framework before they could construct a hegemonic state, construct (imagine) a unified social identity and truly forge a nation-state.

According to Fowler, Santa Anna was "not the power-crazed megalomaniac his critics made him out to be" and did not aspire to having absolute power. Instead, he was consistent in his popular nationalism with an anti-politics and anti-party stance, in which he tried to play the role of an arbitrator between the ever-disputing political elite. Santa Anna also emerges as a patriotic, courageous, albeit impetuous military man who loved his country and whose "personal corruption and alleged lack of principle differed little from that of many other successful generals and politicians."

A professor of Texas history once lectured that one cannot understand Texas history without understanding Mexican history. For those Texas historians who want to understand the events of the 1834 closure of congress, a congress that only had six days left in its legislative calendar, Fowler states that "[a]lthough Santa Anna was the elected president (1833-1836), he did not actually serve as president for more than a few months, making a mockery of the accusations that he was a tyrant or that he was personally responsible for the eventual change to centralism." What Santa Anna did do after the closure of congress was take emergency powers to dismantle the radical anti-clerical reforms that were adversely agitating the republic. But, Vicente Guerrero had already set a precedence of taking emergency powers during his presidency. Historians of Texas should heed that advice and enrich their understanding of the events of 1832-1836 by incorporating this excellent study as well as other recent works written by Mexican scholars into their studies instead of resorting to the dictator-tyrant typology that up to the present so many have done.

Fowler's judgment in the end is that Santa Anna "does not deserve to carry the full blame for everything that went wrong in Mexico following independence. His story, with all the contradictions, confusion, and pain that it entailed was one that reflected the traumas Mexico had to endure during the early national period to become a modern nation-state."

Combining a seventeen-year long research into the politics of independent Mexico and primary materials from municipal, state, regional and national (including the heretofore difficult to access military) archives, Fowler presents an excellent, scholarly yet accessible one-volume study of this much disparaged Mexican. This book is one of the essential studies to understanding what eminent Mexican historian, Josefina Vásquez, has termed, "los años olividados."

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, November 5, 2011

By 

Oliver Van Uytfange - See all my reviews

This review is from: Santa Anna of Mexico (Paperback)

This is a great biography about a controversial character. In fact, I can recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning about the time period in witch Santa Anna lived.
The author makes some claims that can be considered as controversial by Santa Anna haters, but they are all backed by clear argumentation and references to other books and often contemporary sources.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Outstanding!, March 8, 2010

By 

Roy K. Farber (Grand Junction, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Santa Anna of Mexico (Paperback)

I have meant to set down my thoughts of this scholarly work since it was first published and I'd the pleasure of its reading, but somehow time and opportunity slipped by. And yet, after studying the history of Mexico and Nuevo Mexico for these past 15 years or so, attempting to comprehend US History from the vantage of south heading north, this volume stands out, distinct and unforgotten from the rest, and most deserving of high praise.

For a Gringo attempting to comprehend Mexican history, of what became of our one-half and the resulting remainder, Santa Anna is the preeminent figure, and yet slandered, misunderstood, relegated to backwaters and blamed for all vanished glory. Mr. Fowler portrays him as the man of his times, an opportunist, great and tragic at once, and explains his life and times role in a manner that no other author I've read has achieved. Other figures who move out and in through Mexico's transmogrifying soul play their oft-changing roles, too, and IT, the history of that great nation, at last made sense. And through Mr. Fowler's study, which is more of a novel in holding one's interest, but pure history at its finest, ends with Santa Anna's death on the year of the US Centennial, one comes to comprehend what has occurred since with our Neighbor to the South.