Lucas Alamán: Domestic activities 1823-1835

Abstract

Born in Guanajuato in 1792, Alaman was brought up to take over the family mines. A six year interval of travel and study in Europe left him with a desire to civilize and modernize Mexico--on the English pattern. He was deputy to the Spanish Cortes in 1821, and after Iturbide's overthrow was Secretary of State and Foreign Affairs--from April 1823 to September 1825. In these two years he tried to counteract, prudently, federalism, to promote mining, and to reorganize education. Virtually forced out of office in 1825 because of his centralism, he dedicated the next four years to managing the Cortes estate and mining. Director of the Cortes patrimony from 1824 until he died in 1853, he introduced scientific management into the estate management, and mobilized political support against nationalization proposals. Alaman resigned from the directorship of the United Mexican Mining Association in 1831, because of resistance to large investments and dissatisfaction with mediocre production of metals. As Minister of State and Foreign Affairs from 1830 to 1832 in the Anastacio Bustamante administration, he tried to institute a quasi-viceregal system. His programs included making the government centralistic by controlling the states' militia and influencing state elections with the military, subsidizing sympathetic and repressing unfriendly journalists, reasserting civil control over the military, modernizing industry by way of a credit bank (Banco de Avio), systematizing education, raising Mexico's credit standing, and promoting cultural activities. In January 1832 Santa Anna pronounced against the Bustamante ministry and occupied Veracruz. Alaman resigned in May, and the revolution triumphed in December 1832. Indicted by the next elected government for political crimes, mainly Guerrero's execution in February 1831, Alaman hid himself from April 1833, but emerged in July 1834 and was exonerated in March 1835. This study does not include Alaman's foreign policy activities.