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Iturbide returned to Mexico and rallied the loyalist forces to his side.
Determined to seize power to himself, and with the help of the wealthy
criollos, Iturbide met with the leader of the rebellion, Vicente Guerrero to
hash out a treaty.
The meeting between the two generals began with the infamous
embrace of Iguala and would forever link this small town in Guerrero to the
beginning of this nation. On February 24, 1821, with Vicente Guerreros
backing, Iturbide proclaimed his Plan de Iguala, or the Plan of the Three
Guarantees. In it he outlined three points for the new nation; complete
independence from Spain, Catholicism as the one true religion, and equality
for all social classes. Iturbide now commanded the Army of the Three
Guarantees and was able to force the resignation of Viceroy Juan Ruiz de
Apodaca in the ensuing months. On August 24, 1821, Iturbide met with
representatives from Spain and signed the Treaty of Cordoba which recognize
the Independence of Mexico.
The following power shift that followed would be foreshadowing the
future of the country for the next fifty years. Iturbide declared himself
Emperor of Mexico and was just as quickly deposed from that title. Internal
divisions among political factions, military takeovers, and short lived tenures
would become the custom of the young republic, a problem that hindered its
development and left it exposed to its fledging northern neighbor. In the end,
the Mexican War of Independence allowed Mexicans to take control of their
destiny but did little to improve the lives of the majority of its citizens. Once
again, a war fought for the rights of the upper classes with the blood of the
peasants.