Key Facts
- Duration
- 1824–1835 (12 years)
- Founding document
- Constitution of 4 October 1824
- Official name
- United Mexican States (Estados Unidos Mexicanos)
- Administrations completed
- 1 of many — only Guadalupe Victoria served full term
- End event
- Constitution of 1824 repealed 23 October 1835
Imperial Zenith Metrics
Historical Trajectory
Phase I: Rise
Following the collapse of Agustín I's Mexican Empire in 1823, the Supreme Executive Power proclaimed a republic on 1 November 1823. The Federal Constitution of the United Mexican States came into force on 4 October 1824, formally establishing a federated republic modeled partly on the United States. Guadalupe Victoria became the first president, completing the only full term during the republic's entire existence.
Phase II: Zenith
At its height the First Republic governed the former territories of New Spain, stretching from Central America to the present-day American Southwest. The federal structure distributed power among constituent states, fostering regional autonomy and liberal political culture. Mexico City served as the national capital and center of political debate, with ongoing contests between federalists and centralists shaping the republic's legislative and cultural life.
Phase III: Decline
Chronic financial shortfalls and relentless military coups destabilized every administration after Victoria's. Liberal president Valentín Gómez Farías was overthrown by his own vice-president, General Antonio López de Santa Anna, who aligned with conservatives. The conservatives repealed the Constitution of 1824 on 23 October 1835, dissolving the federal system. The replacement Centralist Republic of Mexico was formally established on 30 December 1836 under seven constitutional laws.
Notable Imperial Reigns
Selected rulers mapping the empire’s trajectory