According to Timothy Anna, this book focuses primarily on the period between May 1822 and March 7, 1823, the first reassembly of the restored Congress of 1822. The purpose of the author is to set forth a clearer understanding of the complex issues that arose following political emancipation from Spain, when Mexico for the first time turned its attention to the question of how to organize itself as a separate entity. Anna observes that Mexican historiography has demonized Iturbide as head of the Mexican Empire. Yet Iturbide had, Anna says, “to support all the weight of the politico-social problems that emancipation raised.” The author maintains that Iturbide does not deserve the status of a nonperson but should “stand or fall on his own merits.”
After a brief preface explaining his purpose in limiting himself only to the Empire, Anna launches into chapters titled “The Meaning of Iguala, The Organizing of Government,” “Choosing of the Emperor,” “Disputes over Powers,” “The Junta Instituyente,” “The Uprisings,” “Fall of the Empire,” and “Demonization and Death. This work is very well documented. It is well worth having for reference, because of its detailed treatment of a significant period in Mexican history. It uses materials favorable and unfavorable to Iturbide. Its importance lies in its cautioning against believing everything that contemporaries wrote, even classic historians like Carlos María Bustamante, Lucas Alamán, Lorenzo Zavala, and José María Bocanegra. Iturbide’s emphasis on the center of his empire rather than on the periphery was his greatest failure, as Anna points out toward the end of the work. The book is a worthy addition to Mexican historiography.
