Lucas Alaman He was a politician, historian, businessman and writer born in what was then New Spain in 1792. Although he began his political activities when the viceroyalty still existed, most of his career was developed in independent Mexico. He is considered the "father of Mexican conservatism" and was one of the founders of the Conservative Party..
From a wealthy Spanish family, Alaman lived through some of the bloodiest episodes of the War of Independence, which, together with the influence received during his trips to Europe, led him to develop a conservative ideology in politics and society. However, in the economic sphere, his ideas were more inclined towards the progressive sphere..
After independence, Alaman held different positions in several different governments, until he became one of the most influential politicians in the country. He always defended centralism against federalism, as well as a monarchical system instead of a republic. In addition, he was a firm defender of the need for Mexico to industrialize.
Although he did not completely abandon politics, starting in the 1840s he devoted himself to writing about the history of Mexico from a conservative point of view. His main works were Mexico history, which featured five volumes, and Dissertations on the History of the Mexican Republic, composed of three volumes.
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Lucas Ignacio José Joaquín Pedro de Alcántara Juan Bautista Francisco de Paula Alamán y Escalada was born in Guanajuato on October 18, 1792. His family, dedicated to mining, was one of the wealthiest in the region.
His studies, of a humanistic and scientific nature, began at the Colegio de la Purísima Concepción. Later, the young Alaman moved to Mexico City, where he entered the Royal Seminary of Mines to train in Mineralogy. In 1814, he obtained the title of mine expert.
Before that, on September 28, 1810, Alaman witnessed the entry into the capital of the independence troops of Miguel Hidalgo. The massacre that took place in the taking of the Alhóndiga was fundamental for the strengthening of their anti-liberal conservative ideas.
The War of Independence itself caused his family to lose a large part of their fortune, which also helped to strengthen their conservatism.
After finishing his studies in Mexico City, Alaman embarked on a long journey through Europe. He first visited Spain and, later, France, Italy, Switzerland and Germany. During this journey, he completed his training at the Freiberg Academy of Mines.
Likewise, he also studied Chemistry at the College of France in Paris, as well as Natural Sciences at the Garden of Plants in that same city..
At that time, Alamán began to have some economic difficulties and applied for a permit in Madrid to be able to separate gold and silver using sulfuric acid. The Spanish government granted him a patent in 1819.
Upon returning to Mexico, Lucas Alamán was appointed secretary of the Public Health Board by Viceroy Juan José Ruiz de Apodaca.
In 1821, shortly before Mexico's declaration of independence, Alamán traveled to Spain again as a deputy in the Cortes of Cádiz for the province of Guanajuato..
During this period, Alaman wrote one of the most outstanding works of his career: Essay on the decline of mining in New Spain. At the same time, he developed the so-called Opinion on the important branch of mining, which would later be approved unanimously by the Governing Board created by Agustín de Iturbide.
Despite the fact that in Spain the Constitution of 1812 was in force at that time, of a liberal nature, Alaman defended a plan on the thrones that should be erected in New Granada, Peru and Mexico. According to the politician, the future kings should be the infants of the Spanish royal house, while the king of Spain should be appointed emperor..
Just when Mexico declared independence, Alaman turned down an offer to stay in Spain. Instead, he went on a European trip that took him first to London and then to Paris. In the French capital he founded the Compañía Unida de Minas, which exploited a deposit in Durango.
Lucas Alamán returned to Mexico in March 1823, the same month that Agustín de Iturbide's abdication put an end to the First Mexican Empire. Instead, the government was taken over by a Provisional Government Board composed of Mariano Michelena, Pedro C. Negrete and Nicolás Bravo..
The defense of a monarchical and centralist system was not an impediment for Alaman to become one of the most influential politicians in the country. His facet as a conservative ideologue would lead, years later, to the creation of the Mexican Conservative Party..
The Provisional Board wanted to take advantage of the value of Alamán and his contacts abroad and appointed him, at just 30 years old, Minister of Internal and Foreign Relations.
Alaman remained in that position until September 1825. In addition to the ministry's own tasks, the politician organized the General Archive of the Nation and founded the Museum of Antiquities and Natural History..
When he left office, Alamán spent time managing the mining company he founded, as well as other private activities.
In December 1829, Anastasio Bustamante overthrew the interim president José María Bocanegra. The presidency was assumed by Pedro Vélez, president of the Supreme Court of Justice, and by two associates, Luis Quintanar and Lucas Alamán himself.
This Junta was dissolved when Bustamente became president, but kept Alaman as Minister of Relations until 1830..
During this stage, he had to face the most controversial moment of his career: the accusation of having participated in the assassination of the previous president, Vicente Guerrero. Alaman assumed his own defense and was acquitted in the trial that took place in 1934.
Alaman returned to occupy the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during some periods of the governments of Antonio López de Santa Anna.
The loss of Texas in 1836 was a severe blow to Alaman, who had participated in the negotiations to fix the border with the United States. This fact caused him to withdraw to a large extent from politics, although he remained as director of the Junta de Promotion of the Industry from 1939 until his death.
During the 1840s, Lucas Alamán wrote several works that analyzed the history of the country from a conservative point of view. However, he would still actively participate in politics on several occasions.
In 1845, he was one of the promoters of the rebellion led by Mariano Paredes against the government of President Herrera. Its purpose was to establish a provisional government that would prepare the establishment of the monarchy occupied by a Spanish nobleman..
For Alaman, this was the best tactic to obtain the support of the European ruling houses in the face of American expansionism. Paredes, once appointed interim president, maintained the republican system.
In 1849, already as a candidate for the Conservative Party, Alamán won the elections to preside over the City of Mexico City Council. In addition, he did not stop divulging his ideas in the articles he published in conservative newspapers, such as El Universal and El Tiempo. In them he continued to defend the monarchy and the monopoly of the Catholic religion.
Santa Anna, again in the presidency, called him in 1853 to assume the Ministry of Foreign Relations. Alaman accepted and was sworn in on April 20.
Lucas Alamán remained a short time in that ministry, since he died on June 2, 1853 of pneumonia..
Alaman took advantage of the good economic situation of his family to acquire a very complete education. On his first trip to Europe, he experienced the effects of the liberal constitution of 1812 in Spain and met political thinkers of various tendencies..
In 1821, as a deputy in the Cortes of the Liberal Triennium in Spain, he was able to closely contemplate the consequences of the French Revolution and the emergence of an anti-clerical environment.
During his stay in Spain as a member of the Cortes, in 1821, he presented a proposal that defended the relative independence of the American territories under the tutelage of the Spanish Crown..
According to his exposition, three infants of the royal family were to occupy the thrones of Peru, New Granada and Mexico, while the king would be appointed emperor..
However, in his maturity he abjured that idea. In his own words, this proposal was the product of "the fire of youth and a living imagination".
Despite this, Alaman was never in favor of the establishment of a republic in Mexico. For this politician, the country's history made the establishment of a moderate constitutional monarchy preferable..
For Alaman, a strong power was needed to help stand up to American expansionism and protect the weakest, something that would not be possible in a republic with various political leanings..
Alaman maintained that the work of the conquerors, especially those of Hernán Cortés, had been very beneficial to Mexico. The author claimed that the Spanish had brought civilization and "true religion" to that territory.
On the other hand, Alaman had a very negative view of the country's independence process. In large part, this opinion was due to the impact that the war had on his family and the other members of the upper class, as well as the excesses of the rebel troops in battles such as the taking of the Alhóndiga.
The politician accused the rebels of not having achieved independence by peaceful means, without effects on the economy or social classes..
As the main conservative ideologue, Alaman was against federalism and that the different states of the country had autonomy. Likewise, he also positioned himself against universal suffrage, religious tolerance, political equality and the abolition of the privileges of the clergy, the military and the upper classes..
His ideas led him to support the Seven Laws promulgated in 1836 through the centralist constitution approved that year. Later, in 1853, he supported the dictatorship of Santa Anna, since he was a firm supporter of order.
Alaman criticized that Mexico had adopted federalism, according to him by imitation of other countries. His ideal system was one supported by a strong central government in which political participation was limited to the privileged classes..
In the religious sphere, Alaman defended that Catholicism should be the only religion in the country. In his words, it was "the only bond that remains for Mexicans when all the others have been broken." This meant that the assets of the Church and its privileges had to be respected..
In 1830, Alaman studied the free trade ideas of Adam Smith and decided that applying them in his country was totally counterproductive. Among other effects, this liberalism caused the paralysis of the textile and metallurgical industry located in various areas of Mexico..
For this reason, the economic policy proposed by Alaman was positioned in moderate commercialism. The basis was tax exemptions, direct investment and tariff adjustments depending on the situation..
In 1843, the intellectual presented a proposal in which he insisted that it was essential to protect the national industry. To do this, it proposed to establish heavy levies on foreign products.
During his political career, Alamán made a series of important contributions to the country, especially in the economic and cultural spheres. On many occasions, his proposals in these areas could be classified as progressive, in contrast to his political ideology.
Alaman was one of the founders of the Conservative Party of Mexico, in addition to being its main ideologue. From that position, he lent great support to the Church, the upper classes and the Spaniards who resided in the country..
In 1830, during the presidency of Anastasio Bustamante, Alamán promoted the creation of the Banco Nacional de Avío, specifically aimed at promoting national industry. For him, the construction of this industrial fabric was essential to consolidate independence and for the country to progress.
This banking institution had to offer loans at a reasonable interest, both to private entrepreneurs and to companies that wanted to modernize the manufacturing industry..
The initiative was finally a failure and Santa Anna closed the bank in 1842. Its lack of success was due, among other reasons, to the lack of experience of its managers and the precarious situation of the Public Treasury..
Another of the projects promoted by Lucas Alamán was the well-known Family Pact, an attempt to strengthen the position of the region in the world with Mexico as the central focus..
Its declared objective was to increase continental solidarity and to form a Latin American assembly in which to cooperate and reach agreements beneficial to all countries. In addition, the creation of this body should strengthen the position of Latin America in the world.
Alaman sent two plenipotentiaries to South America and Central America to invite the different countries to participate in the initiative.
During his time in the government of Anastasio Bustamante, Alamán was commissioned to negotiate with the United States the border limits between the two countries.
The talks were not easy and Alaman had to resist threats from the US ambassador, Anthony Butler, who wanted the border to move in favor of his country. In addition, the diplomat tried to get the Mexican politician to accept the sale of Texas, although without success..
Alaman managed to delimit the borders according to Mexican interests. On the other hand, he also managed to have black slaves who arrived in Mexico after escaping from the United States declared free..
To prevent the United States from continuing to gain land, Alemán promoted the colonization of northern territories, including islands or archipelagos that did not yet have an owner..
One of Alaman's most important legacies was the creation of the Mexican National Museum in Mexico City..
Another institution founded by the politician was the General Archive of the Nation, which has turned out to be one of the best tools for learning about the history of Mexico..
In addition to founding the company Compañía Unida de Minas, Alamán established the first foundry in independent Mexico, in 1825.
The politician was also the administrator of the assets of the descendants of Hernán Cortés, in addition to serving as governor of Mexico City in 1849.
His business activities also included the creation of the first blacksmith in the country and two cotton fabric factories. Alaman was also responsible for introducing merino sheep, Tibetan goats, and stallion horses into Mexico..
Finally, he introduced in Mexico the Decimal Metric System, already used in most of the world, and began to draft a printing law..
Apart from its ideological content, Lucas Alemán's work stands out for its literary quality and for the seriousness of the research methods used by the author in his capacity as historian..
This work, divided into three volumes, was written and published between 1844 and 1849. Its full title is Dissertations on the history of the Mexican Republic from the time of the Conquest that the Spanish made in the late 15th and early 16th centuries of the islands and the American continent until Independence.
The five volumes into which the work is divided Mexico history are considered as the starting point of Mexican historiography.
In these volumes, the author recounts everything that happened in Mexico from its independence until 1852, when it was published..
- Hernán Cortés: types and customs
- The recognition of our independence by Spain and the union of the Spanish-American countries
- Portraits and ideas
- Miscellaneous Documents
- Defense of the former Minister of Relations Mr. Lucas Alamán
- The Conservative Party in Mexico
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