Francisco Morazán

The General Jose Francisco Morazán Quezada (1792 - 1842) is a Caudillo of Central America.

He was President of the Federal republic of Central America (1830 - 1834; 1835 - 1839) like Head of State of the Honduras (1827 - 1830), of the Guatemala (1829), of the El Salvador (1839 - 1840) and of the Costa Rica (1840).

He is regarded as being one of the largest military chiefs of Central America and a central figure of the center-American political life of the beginning of the XIXe century as a leader of the movement liberal.

Born with Tegucigalpa (Honduras) in 1792, of a father Creole coming from the the Antilles and originating in Corsica, it received an education aiming at a political career and soldier. He learned French and familiarized himself with the thought of the Lumières and the French revolution; it was also interested in the history of Europe, the war of independence of Spain and the Greek Antiquité and Roman. Its theoretical military training rested on the Napoleonean Guerres.

Its military and political beginnings (1821-1827)

When the independence of the Central America was declared lived of Spain, Morazán was an assistant of the mayor of Tegucigalpa. This municipality was against the annexation of the Central America with the Mexican Empire whereas the municipality close to Comayagua was favorable there. The governor of Comayagua took repressive actions against Tegucigalpa which answered it by the formation of an army of volunteers. Thus Morazán became captain of a battalion, but Tegucigalpa could not prevent the annexation of the Central America to the Mexico.

In 1823, after the secession of the Central America of Mexico, Francisco Morazán took part in the commission on the electoral power of the center-American constituent assembly, for a federal constitution for the plain Provinces of Central America.

In 1824, it was named general secretary of the first government of the State of Honduras and was chaired by his/her uncle Dionisio de Herrera.

The first president of the Federal republic of Central America was Manuel Jose Arce, resulting from the liberal party but obliged by the preserving majority of the Parliament not to follow his political program. In 1827, the civil war burst between the liberals, betrayed by Arce, and the conservatives. The federal troops invaded Honduras and the Morazán Captain was made prisoner and envoy in Guatemala. It was able to escape and joined Nicaragua to take the head of an army having for goal to reverse the new conservative government of Honduras. November 27th, 1827, Morazán entered in Comayagua and took the post of Head of State of Honduras.

Thus Francisco Morazán became the leader of the liberals center-American who asked him for his assistance to release the various areas occupied by the conservatives.

The invasion of El Salvador and Guatemala (1828-1829)

June 30th 1828, Morazán resigned of its post of head of State of Honduras and took the head of the protective Army of the law made up of 600 men of Honduran, Nicaraguan and Salvadorian origin. It left to release El Salvador of the federal troops with this heteroclite army made up of liberals, mercenaries and Indians. In San Miguel, Morazán lost part of its troops because it prohibits the soldiers from plundering the city, preferring to pay them by requisitioning the tradesmen. In spite of these desertions and after some skirmishes, it entered to San Salvador as a liberator in October of the same year.

In 1829, extremely of an army of more than 2.000 soldiers, Morazán penetrated in Guatemala in the intention to take the federal capital and to finish some with the conservative government. In March, and after a battle which the army of Morazán left victorious, a conference of peace in Ballesteros failed in spite of the obvious superiority of Morazán. It penetrated in the federal capital, Ciudad of Guatemala, on April 13rd, 1829 and made stop the conservatives of the government of the federation and the government of the State of Guatemala (as well as the reticent monks with the liberal reforms). Morazán did not accept any compromise with the conservatives, it made exile its political opponents and confiscated their goods and their grounds which became property of the Federation. The civil war was finished, the preserving movement was weakened whereas the liberals dominated the area thanks to Morazán, which took the provisional title of Governor of Guatemala.

Presidency of the Federal republic (1829-1838)

In 1829 Francisco Morazán was elected President of the Federal republic. He tried during his mandate to maintain the union of the area and to make apply his liberal reforms. The reforms wanted by the liberals were inspired by the Lights and the American and British political system: free-trade within the country, development of exports and protection of the industry of the textile, freedom of worship, education for all, etc

In 1832, Jose María Cornejo, conservative leader of the State d' El El Salvador, declares its country independent. To keep the unit of the federation, Morazán invades El Salvador and made name the liberal Mariano Prado as Head of State.

This same year was elected with the head of the Federal republic moderate the Jose Cecilio del Valle, writer of the act of independence and was respected by the two camps. But he died before taking his function and Morazán was re-elected president of the federation.

In 1834, El Salvador was proclaimed once again independent and Morazán invades El Salvador again and decided to install the federal capital in San Salvador for better controlling the area.

In 1838, Guatemala was to face the preserving caudillo Rafael Carrera. Morazán was called for the aid and beaten several times the troops of Will square without being able to capture it. Meanwhile, Costa Rica and Nicaragua had declared themselves independent and the federal assembly had decided to leave in the States freedom car-manage itself. When Morazán returned to San Salvador its mandate of president was finished and the parliamentary session also, preventing the organization of election. The Federal republic of Central America had died.

Presidency of El Salvador (1839-1840)

July 11th 1839, Morazán was elected Head of the State d' El El Salvador but the adjoining countries, directed by conservatives, did not want that the symbol of the federalism exerts a function of Head of State in the area. Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala were combined and Morazán of fleeing and exiling with the Panama in 1840, where he writes his memories and the Manifeste of David (a receuil of its reflections on its political role and soldier in the area and on its enemies, in particular Rafael Carrera). Morazán continued its exiles with the Peru where he refused to order an army.

Presidency of Costa Rica (1840-1842)

In the years the 1840 British occupied the Pacifique coast of Nicaragua, Morazán could not accept it and decided to turn over to Central America to drive out them. It went back to El Salvador where it succeeds in enlisting people enough to make fall the Costa Rican dictator Braulio Carrillo. It enters thus to San Jose in April 1842 as a liberator. Morazán was elected President of Costa Rica and it made integrate the country into the late Federal republic of Central America and founded the obligatory military service. The threats of war and the presence of Salvadorian troops made lose in Morazán all supports popular. An anti-Morazán revolt burst and the president had to flee in his friend Pedro Mayorga. This one betrays it and delivered it to its enemies.

Francisco Morazán was considered and condemned to death. He was shot, under his command, on September 15th 1842, that is to say the 21st birthday of the independence of the Central America.

Homages and monuments

By its importance in the history of the Central America and the various countries which composes it, Francisco Morazán is an important character in the imaginary one of the area. It gave its name to departments in El Salvador and Honduras.

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