The Eagle: The Autobiography of Santa Anna

by Antonio López de Santa Anna, Ann Fears Crawford (Editor)

One of the most remarkable American historical documents of the nineteenth century is Santa Anna's autobiography of his career as a pivotal player in the history of three nations-Mexico, Texas, and the United States.

299 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Victorious military and political leader Antonio López de Santa Anna, or Santa Ana, tried to crush the revolt at the Alamo in 1836, but the Texans quickly afterward defeated and captured him, who in the Mexican War lost several major battles of 1846 and 1847 to Zachary Taylor, general.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio...

Reviews

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each paragraph of Santa Anna's autobiography is filled with lies, exaggerations, or deceptions--and often all three at once. Although somewhat dated now, the notes at the end of the volume provide adequate perspective on the Mexican general, politician, and dictator. The truth is an inconvenient contrast to the boasts, complaints, and laments of the man who controlled Mexico's fate for much of the first 30 years stemming from its independence.

Inadvertently for Santa Anna, the memoirs are a great insight into his mind and the mountainous vanity and narcissism which powered the man to power. The book also reveals just what has condemned Mexico to a near failed state ever since its conception. Santa Anna's story and those of his rivals and allies tell of unrelenting greed. Embezzlement flourished from the first day of independence. Revolution and conflict arose immediately thereafter. Mexico's elites, even those who govern the country today, are well represented in the form of Santa Anna: personal gain always took precedence over the wellbeing of the people.

One other thing becomes clear. From the beginning, Mexico should have been three countries, not one. Yucatan, the south, seems separate from all else, as does the north, including Coahuila and Nuevo Leon, which should have remained part of Texas at Texas' independence. Central Mexico, meanwhile, is a self-contained entity worthy of its own national boundary.

[Shauna Tharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent choice for anyone interested in or studying Mexico or Latin America. It provided great insight into Santa Anna's perspective.