Santa Anna: Mexico's Man of Destiny

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[Mulambdaline]

I’m Mexican-American and I live in Texas, we have a bar in downtown Houston called the Pastry Wars, based on the war you briefly mentioned! The war that started because Mexican soldiers attacked a pastry shop! I recommend it, it’s awesome!

[georgeluna]

I have so many mixed feelings about my Mexican history. It’s good to air things out. Talking about the negative aspects is as important as enjoying the good ones.

[maryellencook]

As a proud Native Texan and having lived here all of my life I won't over react, although in truth I am quite good at it. I think that you have done quite well in telling Santa Anna's life story. Thanks for not prettying it up, but not turning him into a Snidely Whiplash style villan as was done when I first visited the Alamo in 3rd grade with my class (the highlight of which was not a visit to The Shrine of Texas Liberty and San Fernando Cathedral but, but rather, the visit to the Buttercrust Bakery). I like that reference to tamales, by the way.

[EmilyJelassi]

In school in New England, we really didn't learn about Santa Anna except for a footnote on the Alamo. Yet another very interesting video. Thanks Simon! 😊❤

[ignitionfrn]

2:10 - Chapter 1 - The royalist
5:55 - Chapter 2 - The rebel
9:20 - Chapter 3 - The caudillo
13:15 - Chapter 4 - The dictator
17:00 - Chapter 5 - The president
20:30 - Chapter 6 - The exile

[ballinlikestalin]

I was hoping you mention that while on one of his exiles, he helped to introduce chewing gum to America. Just a fun tidbit

[Shaggrtoon]

What do herpes and Santa Anna have in common?

They just keep coming back

[TheStapleGunKid]

Santa Anna really stands out as someone who constantly got thrown out of power, but somehow managed to avoid being executed every time, and even ended up spending his final years living in the nation of his greatest enemies.

[pamelamays]

I've learned more about Santa Anna from this video than I ever did in my history classes in junior and high school.

[RemberReach]

Can you do a video on António Salazar the Portuguese dictator who ruled Portugal for 48 years.

[ricardoespiritu]

As a Mexican I can confirm that up to this day we hate Santa Ana.

[sicksadworld]

As someone from Maryland I was never really interested in Mexican history but learning about these famous leaders got me fascinated now.

[JeromeDoyle]

Don't call it a comeback, Santa Anna's been here for years
Rockin' his peers, puttin' suckers in fear
Makin' the tears rain down like a monsoon
Listen to Mexico go boom!

[COBALTCOVERT]

Hell yea I was waiting for this one. Thanks for making my day off worth a damn, Simon and Crew.

Also if you ever want to dip back into Romans, I cant help but suggest Justinian.

[PHIKrieger]

As a proud Texan... I'd like to completely overreact. Thank you

[ryanrizzo]

Loved the video! Very informative, as always! :)

Yes, It's the guy who keeps asking for a Ip Man Biographic! He mainstreamed a style Kung Fu that was scoffed at. He lived during a divided, war torn Era of China, and he ended up training one of the most influential martial artist that ever lived. My birthday is in 2 weeks. It would mean the world to me to see a Biographic that I've requested for over 3 years. Thank you in advance and keep up the great content!

-A Loyal Subscriber

[Eazy-ERyder]

7:58 Absolutely LOVED the Imperial Empire Star Wars analogy!

[unums]

Mexico is crazy, my Grandma from my Mothers side was the seamstress of and was very good friends with *María Esther Zuno* back in the day.
She was the wife of Luis Echeverría Mexico’s 57th President, apparently he was a real super nice guy, extremely corrupt bastard but nevertheless a real nice guy. The irony is not lost on me.
He gifted my Grandmother a house in the center of Guadalajara, Jalisco MX., before the end of his ‘term’.

She still lives there to this day.

My Great Great Great Grandfather’s on _both_ sides came from Spain and married locals. Like, straight up Native American status, I’ve seen a few of the black and white photo’s when I was a teenager. Their sons did the same and their son’s sons did the same thing as well.

And it turns out that my fathers father and the rest of his side of the family worked for, and when you worked for someone back in those days it was for life, my mothers side of the family. They were landowners and eventually parted out a majority of the land to all their worker’s to build homesteads. It ended up turning into Tamazula, Jalisco. The mission the family owns and runs is still pretty big and definitely the nicest of all buildings in the town square.
My parents found all this out later, from my dad’s grandma mentioning a name my mother recognized, way into there marriage when I was a child, truly insane how all things in the Universe just come together like that.

[venegasfabianangel]

4:19 Just a clarification, Hidalgo didn't think about independence, he, as many criollos of the moment, was on the side of the spanish king, his protest and movement were in fact, a protest against the brother of Napoleon who was imposed as king of spain in those years, the guy who actually wanted independence was José María Morelos y Pavón, he was a disciple of Hidalgo, and after seeing his movement, he went and started another movement, this one, for independence

[minirandomthechicagoboy]

I'm Mexican (as pretty much half of the people watching this video xD) and I can say very few people in Mexican history has caused me so many mixed feelings as him.

For all Mexicans who think:
"He sold more than half of the Mexican territory"

1) He was in exile when the invasion was going on and it was the Mexican people the ones who called him to defend Mexico.
2) The polkos and apathy between the states during the war demonstrated the few unity there was, a fundamental factor in the war.
3) It can be found in Ramón Gamboa (Enemy of Santa Anna) the first pointing of him as a traitor. With publications in 1847 and a study in 1849 that dedicated to talk about "The political asshole" he was. The influence of Gamboa remains today.
4) He didn't signed the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, it was Manuel de la Peña y Peña.

Was he selfish, yes.
Did he do a lot of things wrong? absolutely

He can be judged in all other Dante’s Circles of Hell, but the 9th is exaggerated, it is easy to blame just 1 person during crisis, but the things are bigger than that.