The Spanish Tamerlaine?: Félix María Calleja, Viceroy of New Spain, 1813-1816

Abstract

Felix Maria Calleja, who was described by Carlos Maria de Bustamante as "this new Tamerlaine," was given the arduous task of governing New Spain as viceroy in the period 1813-1816. Calleja had as his primary objective the ending of the war for independence in New Spain. Not only was Calleja forced to govern the colony during the most tumultuous phase of the war, but he was also confronted with the difficulties caused by the attempt to enact the provisions of the Constitution of 1812 and the subsequent return of Ferdinand VII to the Spanish throne in 1814. In spite of the vital role that Calleja played as chief defender of the Crown's interests in the colony, there has never been an examination of his part in these significant events. Using materials from Spanish, Mexican, and Texas archives, this study attempts to redress this imbalance. While he has been cast as the principal villain in this scenario, in reality, Felix Calleja was a military man who was catapulted into a political position as viceroy of New Spain. His appointment to this office rested solely on his long military experience on the northern frontier of New Spain and the success he achieved as commander of the Spanish Army of the Center, responsible for the defense of the heart of New Spain. Therefore, it was necessary to devote considerable attention to Calleja's activities from the time of his arrival in Mexico in 1789. By 1808 General Calleja appeared to have reached the culmination of his military career as a respected senior officer in the Spanish army. Residing in San Luis Potosi, he had also acquired considerable wealth and fame as a leader in the area. After the outbreak of war in 1810, Calleja proved to be the only royalist general in New Spain who demonstrated the capacity to organize raw, untrained recruits into an effective army, develop coherent military strategy, and consistently deny the Mexican insurgents the military solution they sought for the achieving of independence. In the course of the war, Calleja gained a reputation for excessive cruelty that followed him not only to the position of viceroy, but down through the pages of history as well, a reputation acquired only by his zealous and dedicated efforts to hold the colony he loved to the Spanish Crown which he had served for more than forty years. By the time that Felix Calleja left the office of viceroy in 1816, the major military thrust of the insurgent forces had lost its impetus. Nevertheless, the efforts he made counted for little since there is nothing he could have done to reverse the tide of change. The fact that Calleja was personally responsible for delaying it should be considered no small accomplishment.