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Proclama de José Urrea
(México D.F., 15 July 1840)
Aclaración de José Urrea de 16 de julio
(México D.F., 16 July 1840)
Plan Federalista proclamado por Gómez Farías y José Urrea
(México D.F., 19 July 1840)
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Proclama de José Urrea

15 July 1840

Region: México D.F.
Place: Ciudad de México

Pronunciamiento text

Proclama de José Urrea de 15 de julio de 1840

El ciudadano José Urrea a los mexicanos

Mexicanos: una revolución gloriosa por la que ansiaba la nación se ha verificado; su voluntad se ha obsequiado, sin disparar un tiro, sin una gota de sangre, se ha ocupado el palacio por las tropas de mi mando. Restablecer el sistema representativo popular federal. Unir a todos los buenos mexicanos, tolerar todas las opinions, salvar las vidas, propiedades e intereses de todos, he aquí mis principios. Viva la nación independiente, libre y soberana, viva la FEDERACIÓN. Congratulémonos y uníos para consolidar el triunfo a vuestro conciudadano y amigo.

José Urrea

México, 1840.

Impreso por M. Quiroga, calle primera del Factor, Núm. 6.

Context

In the early hours of 15 July, José Urrea, who had been moved from Perote to the gaol in the old Inquisition building in Mexico City as punishment for his leadership of the 1837-39 Sonoran-Sinaloan-Tamaulipeco cycle of federalist pronunciamientos, was freed by a rebel infantry battalion from the local garrison, and together they stormed the National Palace taking President Anastasio Bustamante prisoner. As can be seen in the related documents section to this page, Urrea then invited Valentín Gómez Farías to join him, which the well-known liberal politician did immediately. However, despite having taken the National Palace with the President inside, Minister of War Juan Nepomuceno Almonte refused to negotiate with the pronunciados. More importantly, General Gabriel Valencia chose to stand by the government. Therefore, after the cannons of the arsenal based in the Ciudadela garrison were moved to outside the National Palace, Valencia’s forces opened fire on the pronunciados at 2 p.m. on the 15th. Eyewitness Fanny Calderón de la Barca vividly captured the moment violence broke out in the city centre in her classic Life in Mexico (Boston, 1843, p. 226): “The firing has begun! People come running up the street. The Indians are hurrying back to their villages in double-quick trot… The cannon are roaring now. All along the street people are standing on the balconies, looking anxiously in the direction of the palace, or collected in groups before the doors, and the azoteas, which are out of the line of fire, are covered with men. They are ringing the tocsin – things seem to be getting serious.”As can be seen from the “Aclaración” Urrea circulated the following day, in the hope that Almonte would call an end to the bombardment of the pronunciados’ positions, he went on to claim he had not threatened Bustamante in any way and that the President actually backed his call for a return to federalism. Bustamante, however, managed to escape on the 16th and publicily condemned the pronunciamiento. Besieged in the National Palace, Urrea and Gómez Farías tried to muster support by issuing a detailed federalist plan on the 19th. However, the support they were hoping to obtain never materialised and on hearing that Santa Anna was on his way to Mexico City from Veracruz, the pronunciados surrendered at 6:30 a.m. on 27 July.

WF

Notes

BLAC, Valentín Gómez Farías Papers, No. 633b

Transcribed and revised by Will Fowler

Participants (1):

Leader and author role:
José Urrea

Related pronunciamientos

Child pronunciamientos
Aclaración de José Urrea de 16 de julio (reactive-cum-proactive, supporting)
16 July 1840 ; Ciudad de México, México D.F.
Plan Federalista proclamado por Gómez Farías y José Urrea (reactive-cum-proactive, supporting)
19 July 1840 ; Ciudad de México, México D.F.

Pronunciamiento grievances

National (federalist, anti-constitution)

Political (federalist, anti-constitution)

Proactive

Military (regular army)

Bibliography

Costeloe, Michael P., “A Pronunciamiento in Nineteenth Century Mexico: 15 de julio de 1840”
in , Mexican Studies/Estudios Mexicanos, 1988/pp. 245-64/4

Related documents

Carta de José Urrea a Valentín Gómez Farías, 15 de julio de 1840
José Urrea
15 July 1840

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