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Honduras THE EARLY INDEPENDENCE YEARS, 1821-99
The Collapse of Spanish Rule
In the early nineteenth century, Spanish power went
into rapid
decline. Although Spain was allied with France during the
Napoleonic Wars, in 1808 Napoleon Bonaparte forced the
Spanish king
to abdicate and put a Bonaparte on the Spanish throne. In
response,
Spanish people erupted in revolt in Madrid and throughout
Spain,
setting off a chain of uprisings in Latin America. In
Honduras,
resentment against rule by the exiled Spanish king
increased
rapidly, especially because increased taxes for Spain's
struggle
against the French threatened the cattle industry. In 1812
disturbances that broke out in Tegucigalpa were more
linked to
long-standing rivalry with Comayagua, however, than to
opposition
to Spanish rule. The disturbances were quickly controlled,
and, to
appease local discontent, the municipal government of
Tegucigalpa
was reestablished.
The rivalry between Tegucigalpa and Comayagua helped
precipitate
the final collapse of Spanish authority in Honduras. A new
Spanish
administration attempted to transfer Comayagua's tobacco
factory to
Tegucigalpa. This move led to defiance by Comayagua, which
refused
to acknowledge the authority of the government in
Guatemala. The
weakened Spanish government was unable to end Comayagua's
defiance,
and for a time civil strife threatened to break out.
Conflict was
averted by the decision made by all the Central American
provinces
on September 15, 1821, to declare their independence from
Spain.
This action failed to resolve the dispute between
Tegucigalpa and
Comayagua, however; the former now urged the creation of a
unified
Central American state, while the latter favored union
with the
Empire of Mexico under the rule of General Augustín de
Iturbide.
Ultimately, Comayagua's position prevailed, and in early
1822 the
Central American provinces declared their allegiance to
Mexico.
This union lasted just over a year and produced few if
any
benefits for either party. In March 1823, Iturbide was
overthrown
in Mexico, and the empire was replaced by a republic. The
Central
American Congress, in which Comayagua but not Tegucigalpa
was
represented, was quickly convened. With little debate, the
United
Provinces of Central America declared their independence
from
Mexico. Mexico's only effort to reverse this decision
consisted in
maintaining control over Chiapas, the northernmost of the
six
previous provinces of Central America.
Data as of December 1993
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