Where Crowned Iturbide As Emperor?

The Coronation of Iturbide , Emperor of Mexico, was an important event for the history of the country for its political and social reasons.

Agustín de Iturbide, considered by opinion as the great hero of the Mexican independence And by many academicians as a mere adventurer of military caste, was a Mexican caudillo born in 1783 and emperor of Mexico between 1822 and 1823.

Recreation of the coronation of Iturbide

Being mestizo (of Spanish father and Mexican mother), Iturbide had an elitist formation and at an early age enrolled in the realistic army.

As such, he was behind several insurgents and was charged with fighting rebellions against the Spanish Crown.

Two important rebel generals - General José María Morelos and General Vicente Guerrero - were persecuted by Iturbe. However, he would later persuade Guerrero to join him and fight together for the Mexico's independence .

Finally, in 1821 the declaration of independence takes place, separating the Mexican nation from the Kingdom of Spain.

In the following days a constituent congress was established - an assembly whose purpose would be to create new laws and changes - of the now Mexican Empire. In the presence of this congress the"Regency"was sworn in, with General Iturbide as leader.

However, there were multiple differences between these two sectors, Republicans, and on the other, the supporters of the monarchy.

In the middle of a climate of division and military conspiracies on the one hand, and iturbistas general on the other, in May 1822 proclaimed General Iturbide as Emperor, under the title of Augustine I.

Although this happened apparently because of the will of the people and military groups, iturbide itself had initiated a movement, with the collaboration of one of its regiments in the locality of Celaya, in order to promote the idea among the population.

Faced with such a situation, Congress was forced to hold a public meeting in which the appointment was approved.

The"constitutional coronation"

Despite the tensions between the newly proclaimed emperor and the congress, it was precisely the latter who had to write the draft ceremony.

It was a novelty in regard to the traditional rituals of enthronement and coronation as they were known in the Spanish and European courts in general, as the Congress took part in them in an important way.

In addition, the"constitutional"character of the new monarchy was also a matter that gave it a complete originality to the ceremony, despite having been elaborated on the basis of European liturgies.

The 21 of Julio of 1822 was the day of the coronation of Agustín I like Emperor, In the metropolitan cathedral of Mexico City .

Ringing bells in all the churches of the nation and cannon salutes every hour, began the celebration that would be remembered in history as one of the most elaborate coronation ceremonies.

The ritual began with the procession representatives of the congress, which consisted of 2 commissions of 24 deputies each, including some opponents of Iturbe.

Where Crowned Iturbide As Emperor?

The procession of the Emperor left the house of Moncada to the cathedral; The streets and houses nearby were adorned and was accompanied by a group of cavalry with the imperial banners. Indigenous, religious, academic, political, diplomatic representations among other personalities were also part of the procession.

Next came the Empress, Ana Maria Huarte, the princesses and their bridesmaids, wearing the crown, ring and mantle - the imperial badges - and who were accompanied by some generals and a congressional commission.

Then the emperor was escorted by four generals, his father, the prince, the congressmen, and other persons at his service. Imperial insignia were also worn, which in this case included, besides those already mentioned, the scepter and the sword.

The emperor and empress were received by two bishops at the gates of the cathedral, with each of its processions.

Shortly after the congressman, Rafael Mangino, placed the imperial insignia on the altar, the Mass began, the bishop of Guadalajara (in charge of consecration) anointed the emperor and empress in his right arm, as he had been Established in this ceremonial by the congressmen and unlike other rituals.

Subsequently, the holy chrism were imposed and the badges were blessed; Immediately, the congress president, who again took an important part in the ceremony, placed the insignia on the Emperor.

This is considered as a symbol that he owed his coronation to the people and the congress, and replaced the modality of self-coronation.

Once the crown and other elements were received, the emperor crowned the Empress and they both moved to the large throne that had been arranged in the cathedral and at the end of the corresponding prayers, the" Vivat Imperatur in aeternum "(May the emperor live forever!).

The ceremony continued with the sermon of the bishop of Puebla and the presentation of the offerings. Traditionally they consisted of gold and silver, according to the French rite that followed the coronation of Napoleón Bonaparte. A gold leaf, one silver, 26 coins (13 of each metal) embedded in two candles and a chalice were brought to the altar by five deputies.

To finish the ceremony, the coronation was proclaimed and announced with the phrase"Long live the Emperor and the Empress", announcement that was accompanied by rallies of bells and cannon. While silver coins were thrown with the face of the Emperor and then retired to the palace that now houses the Palace of Culture Banamex.

Thus concluded the ceremony, which later would be classified as a novelty and above all, with the constitutional character that the congress wanted to make very clear when drafting the guidelines of the ceremony.

He emphasizes the role that the deputies had during all the rite, when the usual thing according to the European traditions was that the emperor only surrounded itself of its relatives and servants nearer.

Undoubtedly, this was an expression of the political differences between the Congress and the Emperor, addressed in a subtle but clear enough way to go down in history as a remarkable fact.

References

  1. Agustin de Iturbide, Emperor of Mexico. Retrieved from britannica.com.
  2. Almanac, L. (1852). History of Mexico, from the first movements that prepared their independence in the year 1808 until the present time. Part Two. Mexico, J.M. Lara.
  3. Anna, T. (2001). Forging Mexico, 1821-1835 . Nebraska, University of Nebraska Press.
  4. Carbajal, D. (2011). Scielo: A liturgy of rupture: the ceremonial of consecration and coronation of Augustine I . Recovered from: scielo.org.mx.
  5. Vázquez, J. (1997). Dictionary of Mexican Rulers, 1325-1997 . Westport, Greenwood Press.


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