Ayutla Plan
On March 1, 1854, the Ayutla Plan was promulgated, which contains the ideological foundations that gave meaning to the armed uprising that ended the government of Antonio López de Santa Anna and convened the Constituent Congress that formulated the Constitution of 1857.
Plan de Ayutla (1854) by Juan Álvarez, Ignacio Comonfort, Trinidad Gómez, Diego Álvarez, Tomás Moreno y Rafael BenavidesArchivo General de la Nación - México
This document drawn up at the Hacienda “La Providencia”, by Juan Álvarez, Ignacio Comonfort, Trinidad Gómez, Diego Álvarez, Tomás Moreno and Rafael Benavides. It pronounced the malaise, both of the liberals and conservatives, against the policies dictated by the government of General Antonio López de Santa Anna.
Juan ÁlvarezArchivo General de la Nación - México
The liberal Juan Álvarez and the conservative Florencio Villarreal, joined forces to dismiss Santa Anna, indicated as a threat to the guarantees of the citizens, to the integrity of the Republic before the sale of La Mesilla; and to the principles of federalism.
Juan Álvarez assumed command of the Freedom Restoration Army that would sustain the Ayutla Plan, which was reformed on March 11 in Acapulco.
Antonio López de Santa AnnaArchivo General de la Nación - México
Not everyone joined the Ayutla Plan, an example of this was the general and former insurgent leader Nicolás Bravo, who from his Chichihualco farm made the call to the nation to continue under the government of Antonio López de Santa Anna.
Cuadro Histórico de los Congresos Constituyentes de México by Vicente Rivera Melo Vázquez y Eustorgio EspinosaArchivo General de la Nación - México
Most of the populations in the southern territory of Mexico, mainly Guerrero and Michoacán, adhered to this plan. When the plan was assumed, the chief general summoned a representative for each state and territory, who would elect the interim president.
Caricaturas en alución al gobierno de Santa Anna (1844) by M. MurguiaArchivo General de la Nación - México
With the appointment of an interim representative, the aim was to achieve the unity and political stability that was expected of the last government, which only left behind a tyrannical regime that hurt all spheres of Mexican society.
Plan de Ayutla (1854) by Juan Álvarez, Ignacio Comonfort, Trinidad Gómez, Diego Álvarez, Tomás Moreno y Rafael BenavidesArchivo General de la Nación - México
Among the nine articles, the first one that ceased Santa Anna and his officials in the exercise of power stood out; the second, where it was mentioned that, once the revolution was over, the representatives of the party states would appoint an interim president, who would be Juan N. Álvarez.
And the fifth, where an extraordinary constituent congress was called, which should produce a new republican, representative and popular constitution.
Constitución Federal de 1857 (1857) by Constituent Congress of 1857Archivo General de la Nación - México
The Ayutla Revolution, initiated to restore freedom, gradually acquired a liberal character, which spread throughout the country until it reached Mexico City, causing the retirement of His Serene Highness and the establishment of a liberal government, headed by the Generation of the Reform, whose national project was consolidated on February 5, 1857 with a new Constitution, the subsequent years being decisive for its defense.
