He also served as vice president of Mexico from to He was a controversial and pivotal figure in Mexican politics during the 19th century, to the point that he has been called an "uncrowned monarch", [ 4 ] and historians often refer to the three decades after Mexican independence as the "Age of Santa Anna". Santa Anna was in charge of the garrison at Veracruz at the time Mexico won independence in He would go on to play a notable role in the fall of the First Mexican Empire , the fall of the First Mexican Republic , the promulgation of the Constitution of , the establishment of the Centralist Republic of Mexico , the Texas Revolution , the Pastry War , the promulgation of the Constitution of , and the Mexican—American War.
Throughout his political career, Santa Anna was known for switching sides in the recurring conflict between the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party. He managed to play a prominent role in both discarding the liberal Constitution of in and in restoring it in Santa Anna was also known for his ostentatious and dictatorial style of rule, making use of the military to dissolve Congress multiple times and referring to himself by the honorific title of His Most Serene Highness.
His intermittent periods of rule, which lasted from to , witnessed the loss of Texas , a series of military failures during the Mexican—American War, and the ensuing Mexican Cession.
His leadership in the war and his willingness to fight to the bitter end prolonged that conflict: "more than any other single person it was Santa Anna who denied Polk 's dream of a short war. After he was overthrown and exiled in through the liberal Plan of Ayutla , Santa Anna began to fade into the background in Mexican politics even as the nation entered the decisive period of the Reform War , the Second French Intervention in Mexico , and the establishment of the Second Mexican Empire.
Historians debate the exact number of his presidencies, as he would often share power and make use of puppet rulers ; biographer Will Fowler gives the figure of six terms [ 7 ] while the Texas State Historical Association claims five.
