MEXICO CITY.— The Constitution of Apatzingánknown as Constitutional Decree for the Freedom of Mexican Americawas promulgated on October 22, 1814 for him Anahuac Congress in Apatzingan, Michoacan. Although it did not come into force, it was the first constitution of Mexico and laid the foundations for future constitutions, such as that of 1824.
Highlights of the Constitution of Apatzingán
Date and place: It was promulgated on October 22, 1814 in Apatzingán, Michoacán.
Title: Constitutional Decree for the Freedom of Mexican America.
Promulgation: It was written and promulgated by the Anahuac Congress.
Content
- It established principles such as equality, property and freedom.
- It proposed the separation of legislative, executive and judicial powers.
- It created a supreme government with three people with equal authority.
Importance
- Although it did not come into force, it represented a fundamental step in the fight for independence.
- It served as inspiration for the first Federal Constitution of the United Mexican States of 1824.
Constitutional Decree for the freedom of Mexican America
The National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) of Mexico, publishes on its website that, on October 22, 1814, the Constitutional Decree for the freedom of Mexican Americaalso known as the Constitution of Apatzingán promulgated by the Congress of Anáhuac.
He adds that, in November 1813, the Congress of Chilpancingo proclaimed the independence of New Spain. For this reason, José María Morelos prepared his military campaign to take Valladolid and grant a headquarters to the Congress that would issue a charter for the new nation.
“The campaign was adverse for the insurgent forces, which is why the members of Congress, besieged by Spanish troops, moved to Apatzingán,” explains the CNDH document.
In Apatzingán, the drafting of the Constitution was completed, which included the progressive ideas of the French constitutions of 1791, 1793 and 1795; the Constitution of Massachusetts of 1780, the Constitution of Cádiz of 1812. Based on them, José María Morelos, López Rayón, Carlos María de Bustamante, Andrés Quintana Roo, José Sotero Castañeda, Sixto Verduzco and Manuel Alderete y Soria, adapted and thought about their possible application to the particularities of the territory.
242 articles made up the Constitution of Apatzingán
The Magna Carta was issued in Apatzingán on October 22, 1814. The document was made up of 242 articles divided into two sections: constitutional principles or elements and form of government. Regarding the first point, it was established that legislative, executive and judicial power should not be exercised by a single person. The right to citizenship was also highlighted for people who were born in the new nation and, therefore, the law was the same for everyone.
In addition, a Supreme Government was proposed composed of 3 people, José María Cos, José María Liceaga and José María Morelos, with equal authority and responsibilities with an alternation every four months. The objective was to guarantee the protection of the rights of freedom, property, equality and security. Given this, absolute independence in relation to Spain was explicitly expressed, since it did not recognize Ferdinand VII as sovereign.
Although the Constitution was never applied due to the difficult times in which it was drafted; It represented one of the starting points and source of inspiration for the drafting of the Federal Constitution of the United Mexican States of 1824.
Death of José María Morelos
After its promulgation, on December 22, 1815, José María Morelos y Pavón was captured and shot in San Cristóbal, Ecatepec. In this way, the royalist troops once again took control of the entire country. Subsequently, its independence could not be prevented from being consummated, first under the name of the Mexican Empire and, later, as the United Mexican States.
Anniversary of the Constitution of Apatzingán
Currently, on October 22 of each year, the Plenary Session of the Congress of the state of Michoacán moves to the City of Apatzingán, in order to commemorate such a memorable event in a solemn session, the Anniversary of the Sanction of the Constitutional Decree for the Freedom of Mexican America.
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