Act of Independence of the Mexican Empire

The Act of Independence of the Mexican Empire is the document by which the Mexican Empire declared its independence from the Spanish Empire. The founding document of the Mexican State was drawn up in the National Palace of Mexico City, on September 28, 1821 by Juan José Espinosa de los Monteros, secretary of the Supreme Provisional Governmental Board.

Two original copies of the minutes were drawn up. One copy remained in the session hall of the Chamber of Deputies until it was destroyed in the Chamber's fire in 1909. The other copy was stolen and sold in 1830. This copy was recovered by Maximilian of Habsburg and after the execution of this, was taken out of the country by Agustín Fischer, confessor of the emperor.

Some time later, the Spanish antiquarian Gabriel Sánchez sold the document to the historian Joaquín García Icazbalceta, who kept it and later inherited it to his son Luis García Pimentel, who sold it to Florencio Gavito. Gavito stipulated in his will that when he died he delivered the Act to President Adolfo López Mateos. On November 14 of the same year (1961) the result of two opinions was delivered by means of which it was verified that the Act is one of the two originals signed in 1821 and on November 21, Florencio Gavito Jáuregui, son of the late Gavito, delivered of his own hand the Act to the President of the Republic.

The document, measuring 52.9 by 71.8 centimeters, is currently kept in the General Archive of the Nation.

Background

Entry of the Trigarant Army by the Garita de Bethlehem to Mexico City.

On September 27, 1821, the Trigarante Army led by Agustín de Iturbide entered Mexico City, thus concluding the Mexican War of Independence. On September 28, Iturbide installed the Supreme Provisional Governmental Board, composed of by 38 people and chaired by Antonio Pérez Martínez y Robles, Bishop of Puebla de los Ángeles and as vocal secretaries Juan José Espinosa de los Monteros and José Rafael Suárez Pereda. The board immediately proceeded to elect the five members of the Regency Empire. The Regency was made up of Iturbide, who would preside over it, and by Juan O'Donoju, Manuel de la Bárcena, José Isidro Yáñez and Manuel Velázquez de León.

On October 13 of the same year, the first Political Chief of Mexico City, Ramón Gutiérrez del Mazo, ordered the publication of the proclamation with the Independence Act for the first time so that the entire population would find out about the great event, in especially the Courts, Chiefs, Governors and other civil and military authorities, so that they in turn make them publish and circulate throughout the nation.

Writing and signature

On the afternoon of September 28, the members of the Junta met in the National Palace to draft the Independence Act of the newly independent nation. The two resulting documents or minutes were then drawn up in their final form by Juan José Espinosa de los Monteros, the Board's vocal secretary. The minutes were signed by 33 of the 38 members of the Board together with Iturbide in his capacity as president. of the Regency. Juan O'Donoju, the last Superior Political Chief of New Spain, Francisco Severo Maldonado, Mr. José Domingo Rus, José Mariano de Almanza and Miguel Sánchez Enciso did not sign the documents but 'in absentia', although In the minutes it was written: Place of the signature of Juan O'Donoju and later his signature was added to the printed copies of the minutes, but the signatures of the other three missing members who they are believed to be absent for health reasons. Juan José Espinoza de los Monteros signed each minute twice, once as a member of the Board and the second time as a secretary member, so the minutes contain 35 signatures and the paragraph designated for O& #39;Donoju. One copy of the minutes went to the government and the other to the board, which was later sent to the Chamber of Deputies.

Content

Act of independence of the Mexican Empire, delivered by the Sovereign Board gathered in the Capital on September 28, 1821.

The Mexican nation, which, for three hundred years, has neither had its own will, nor free use of the voice, leaves today the oppression in which it has lived.

The heroic efforts of his sons have been crowned, and the company is consummated, eternally memorable, that a genius, superior to all admiration and praise, for the love and glory of his homeland, began in Iguala, continued and carried out, wrought almost insurmountable obstacles.

So, this part of the north shall be restored to the army of all rights granted to him by the Author of Nature, and shall recognize by inenagenable and sacred nations the cultas of the earth; in freedom to be constituted of the manner that best suits his happiness; and with representatives that may manifest his will and his designs; he shall begin to make use of such precious gifts, and declare solemnly, by means of the supreme possession

Signatories

This notable document was signed by thirty-five individuals in the order of their appointment: the names of Mr. Francisco Severo Maldonado, Mr. José Domingo Rus and Mr. Miguel Sánchez Enciso are missing: it is not known whether or not they attended the Board or if they had an impediment due to illness, although this would not have been an obstacle, since O'Donojú's signature appears on the printed reproduction of the minutes that were published.

The thirty-eight individuals that Iturbide appointed to form the Provisional Government Board are the following:

Absent Signatories

• Juan O'Donoju
• Francisco Severo Maldonado
• José Domingo Rus and Ortega de Azarraullía
• Miguel Sánchez

Document history

After being drafted, one of the copies was delivered to the Provisional Government Board, which was later put on display in the Chamber of Deputies until 1909, when the fire destroyed it.

The other copy was delivered to the Regency of the Empire, which remained in the National Palace and was stolen in 1830. Foreign Minister Lucas Alamán made this reference to the stolen document:

"There is no more copy in the republic (manuscript) than the one in the chamber of sessions of the Chamber of Deputies; the other was sold by an infidel employee to a curious traveler giving to stop in France. "

Alamán requested to recover it during his period as chancellor but was unsuccessful although he offered a considerable sum for it.

Decades later, the document was acquired by Emperor Maximilian I, although how and where he obtained it is unknown. The Act contains on the back the figure of the ex libris of Maximilian's library and was taken out of the country after the emperor's execution by his confessor, Agustín Fischer.

Much later, the Minutes appeared in Spain in the library of the antiquarian Gabriel Sánchez. It is also unknown how he obtained it, but it is a fact that the back of the document has the seal of the library of the Spanish antiquarian. Sánchez sold the document to the Mexican historian Joaquín García Icazbalceta, who kept it and inherited it from his son Luis García Pimentel.

Florencio Gavito Bustillo, lived in France and there he was contacted by Luis García Pimentel, who offered to sell him the Declaration of Independence. After buying the Act for 10,000 pesos, he returned to Mexico with the intention of delivering the Act himself to the Mexican government, but he died of leukemia in 1958. Gavito expressed in his will the wish that the Act be delivered to the President of the Republic.

Before delivering the certificate, authenticity reports were sent, in which the Gavito family collaborated with the purchase-sale note. The opinions were ready on November 14, 1961.

The ceremony of delivery of the Independence Act was held on November 21 of the same year. Florencio Gavito Jáuregui personally delivered the Minutes to President Adolfo López Mateos, in which the Secretary of the Interior, Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, and Jaime Torres Bodet, Secretary of Public Education, were also present.

The minutes were put on display for a while in the Chapultepec Castle and then they were withdrawn and sent to the General Archive of the Nation.

In 2008, restoration work began on the act and it was exhibited for a month at the Palacio de Lecumberri. In 2010 it was put on display at the National Palace in the framework of the celebration of the bicentennial of the beginning of the independence of Mexico. The National Institute of Anthropology and History was concerned about the presentation of the act and recommended not to expose it for a longer time, since it currently does not have a special system for it.

The Act is currently protected within two guards made with acid-free materials, in the security vault of the General Archive of the Nation, a space that has climate monitoring. Experts from the National Autonomous University of Mexico are working on a system for the preservation and exhibition of historical documents, in order to permanently expose the Act in the near future.

Gallery