por The Iturbide’s coronation, Emperor of Mexico, was an important event in the country’s history for political and social reasons. His coronation took place at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the skies of Mexico City, on July 21, 1822.
The proclamation was carried out by a faction of the army. The main protagonists of the support for the coronation were Sergeant Pío Marchá and Colonel Rivero.
Agustín de Iturbide, considered by public opinion as the great hero of Mexican independence, and by many academics as a simple adventurer of military caste, was a Mexican caudillo born in 1783 and Emperor of Mexico between 1822 and 1823.
Being mestizo (of a Spanish father and a Mexican mother), Iturbide had an elitist training and at an early age he enlisted in the royalist army. As such, he was on the trail of various insurgents and was tasked with fighting rising rebellions against the Spanish crown.
Two important rebel generals – General José María Morelos and General Vicente Guerrero – were persecuted by Iturbide. However, he would later convince Guerrero to meet with him and fight together for the independence of Mexico.
Finally, in 1821 the declaration of independence was produced, thus separating the Mexican nation from the Kingdom of Spain.
In the following days, a constituent congress was established – an assembly whose purpose would be to create new laws and changes – of the now Mexican Empire. In the presence of this congress, the «Regency» was sworn in, with General Iturbide as leader.
However, multiple differences emerged between these two sectors, republicans, and on the other, supporters of the monarchy.
In the midst of a climate of division and military conspiracies, on the one hand, and Iturbista generals on the other, in July 1822 General Iturbide was proclaimed emperor, under the title of Agustín I.
Although this fact occurred apparently because of the will of the people and military groups, Iturbide himself had started a movement, with the collaboration of one of his regiments in the town of Celaya, to promote the idea among the population.
Faced with such a situation, Congress was forced to hold a public session in which the appointment was approved.
The «constitutional coronation»
Despite the existing tensions between the recently proclaimed emperor and the congress, it was precisely the latter who had to draw up the ceremony project.
It was a novelty with regard to the traditional rituals of enthronement and coronation, as they were known in the Spanish and European courts in general, since the congress took part in them in an important way.
In addition, the «constitutional» character of the new monarchy was also a matter that gave the ceremony complete originality, despite having been elaborated based on European liturgies.
July 21, 1822 was the day of Augustine I’s coronation as emperor, in the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the heavens of the Mexico City.
Ringing of bells in all the churches of the nation and cannon salutes every hour began the celebration, which would be remembered in history as one of the most elaborate coronation ceremonies.
The ritual began with the procession of congressional representatives, which was made up of 2 commissions of 24 deputies each, including some opponents of Iturbide.
The emperor’s procession left from the house of Moncada towards the cathedral. The nearby streets and houses were decorated and he was accompanied by a group of cavalry carrying the imperial banners.
Indigenous, religious, academic, political and diplomatic representations, among other personalities, were also part of the procession.
Next came the Empress, Ana María Huarte, the princesses and their ladies-in-waiting, wearing the crown, ring and mantle – the imperial insignia – and who were accompanied by some generals and a congressional commission.
Later, the emperor would pass escorted by 4 generals, his father, the prince, the congressmen and other people at his service. The imperial insignia were also worn, which in this case included, in addition to those already mentioned, the scepter and the sword.
The emperor and empress were received by two bishops at the doors of the cathedral, with each of their processions.
Shortly after the president of the congress, Rafael Mangino, placed the imperial insignia on the altar, the mass began, and the bishop of Guadalajara (in charge of the consecration) anointed the emperor and empress on the right arm, as it had been established in this ceremonial by the congressmen and unlike other rituals.
Subsequently, the holy chrism was imposed on them and the insignia were blessed. Immediately, the president of the congress, who once again took an important part in the ceremony, placed the insignia on the emperor.
This is considered a symbol that he owed his coronation to the people and to the congress, and replaced the modality of self-coronation, in contrast to what was done by Napoleon (who crowned himself, and then Josephine, as empress). .
Once the crown and the other elements were received, the emperor crowned the empress and both moved to the great throne that had been arranged in the cathedral, and at the end of the corresponding prayers, the Vivat Imperatur in aeternum (May the emperor live forever!).
The ceremony continued with the sermon by the Bishop of Puebla and the presentation of the offerings.
Traditionally, they consisted of gold and silver, according to the French rite that followed the coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte. One gold leaf, one silver leaf, 26 coins (13 of each metal) embedded in two candles and a chalice were brought to the altar by five deputies.
To end the ceremony, the coronation was proclaimed and announced with the phrase «Long live the Emperor and the Empress», an announcement that was accompanied by the ringing of bells and cannon fire.
Meanwhile, silver coins with the emperor’s face were thrown and then they retired to the palace, which currently houses the Banamex Palace of Culture.
Thus concluded the ceremony, which would later be classified as a novelty and, above all, with the constitutional character that the congress wanted to make very clear when drafting the guidelines for the ceremony.
The role played by the deputies throughout the rite stands out, when the usual thing, according to European traditions, was for the emperor to surround himself only with his closest relatives and servants.
Without a doubt, this was an expression of the existing political differences between the congress and the emperor, addressed in a subtle way but evident enough to go down in history as a remarkable fact.
References
Agustin de Iturbide, Emperor of Mexico. Recovered from britannica.com.
Anna, T. (2001). Forging Mexico, 1821-1835. Nebraska, University of Nebraska Press.