Antonio López de Santa Anna

Antonio López de Santa Anna (played by Olivier Martinez), who proudly roamed the stage of Mexican and American history in the 1830s and '40s, was also very real. He fought for Mexican independence after serving in Spain's colonial armies in Mexico. As a Mexican army commander, he supported and later assisted in the overthrow of two successive presidents. In 1833, he began the first of five presidential terms, converting himself from a supporter of Mexico's 1824 federalist constitution to a centralist tyrant. After attempting to conquer colonial Texas, he became its prisoner and was compelled to grant it freedom.

López de Santa Anna, regarded as a hero by his men, desired fame for himself and his army, as well as freedom for Mexico. After huge setbacks, he continually restored his reputation. Nonetheless, historians and many Mexicans consider him to be one among "those who failed the nation". His centralist rhetoric and military failures led to Mexico losing half of its territory, beginning with the Texas Revolution of 1836 and continuing with the Mexican Cession of 1848, following Mexico's defeat by the United States in the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848. After the war's debacle, a fragile coalition of conservatives returned him to power in Mexico after a foreign exile. As military dictator, he was given extraordinary powers. In 1853, he ceded a portion of Mexican land to the United States. The death of López de Santa Anna's primary advisor, Lucas Alamán, took a significant influence from his administration. After being deposed by the liberal Revolution of Ayutla in 1855, he spent the most of his final years in exile and was no longer a political figure in Mexico.