Plan of Veracruz
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Main article: Plan of Veracruz (1832)
On January 2, 1832, a liberal revolt against the government flared up in Veracruz, demanding the dismissal of President Bustamante's ministers. Santa Anna joined the movement and on January 4, he addressed himself to President Bustamante offering to mediate in order to prevent bloodshed.
The government failed to defeat Santa Anna, and the revolution spread to Tamaulipas, where the rebels routed the forces of Manuel de Mier y Terán at Tampico. Now the revolution was joined by more states, who began to demand not only the dismissal of the ministers but the replacement of Bustamante himself with Manuel Gómez Pedraza who had won the elections of 1828 before fleeing the country in the aftermath of Vicente Guerrero's revolt against him. Meanwhile the states of San Luis Potosi, Michoacan, Chihuahua, Mexico, Puebla, and Tabasco remained loyal to Bustamante, but the revolution continued to advance.
Interim presidency[edit]
The government was shaken by the news that the up until then loyal city of San Luis Potosi was captured by the rebel general José Esteban Moctezuma on August 6, and President Bustamante assumed personal command of the troops in order to lead an expedition against him. Bustamante stepped down as president and the deputies elected General Melchor Múzquiz to assume the role of interim president on August 14. President Múzquiz struggled to fund the armies of Minister of War José Antonio Facio and Bustamante, and could not obtain loans while the country was in a state of civil war.
Bustamante routed the forces of Moctezuma on September 18, and occupied the San Luis Potosi on September 30. Unfortunately for the government, General Gabriel Valencia then proclaimed his support for the revolution in the state of Mexico, putting him in a position to threaten the capital. Bustamante turned back towards Mexico City and reached Peñón Blanco where he obtained a promise from Governor Francisco García Salinas of the state of Zacatecas to support the government, a promise which was later broken. Meanwhile in Veracruz after a six-month stalemate, Santa Anna defeated government forces led by Facio, allowing his army to leave Veracruz and advance upon the capital reaching Tacubaya on October 6.
The Múzquiz administration sent circulars to loyal governors, and redoubled its efforts to maintain itself. Half of his ministers were opposed by the revolutionists but Múzquiz did not make any personnel changes in response. Congress also refused to negotiate with the rebels by placing Gómez Pedraza in charge of the executive, and instead granted Melchor Múzquiz emergency powers. Commissioners were sent to negotiate with Santa Anna, who was at the gates of the capital, but no agreement was reached.
At this point, however, Santa Anna headed away from Mexico City on November 6 to face the approaching army of Bustamante at the city of Puebla, and defeated him on November 16. By now government had effectively lost control over the rest of the nation, retaining the loyalty of only Oaxaca and Chihuahua. Bustamante gave up the military struggle and opened negotiations at which it was agreed to enter into an armistice until congress could approve a peace treaty between the parties. Múzquiz himself wished to agree to an armistice, but congress refused to surrender. Múzquiz would resign in opposition on December 15, but his resignation was rejected. However Bustamante disobeyed congress to avert further bloodshed and proceeded to negotiate a peace that was ratified on December 23, 1832, through the Treaty of Zavaleta. In accordance with the treaty, the presidency now passed on to Manuel Gómez Pedraza. A group of commissioners arrived from the triumphant rebels to announce to the now ex-president Múzquiz that he was free to go home.
