Was Santa Anna as vainglorious, self-righteous a snob as depicted in this film and elsewhere? He is drawn as a really contemptible figure. Certainly his life as a whole was a monumental protracted train wreck, one compromise of principles after another.
shareHe was an opportunist.
Fought for Spain, then against them.
Supported Emperor Iturbide, then helped overthrow him.
Supported Constitution of 1824, then destroyed it.
Fought against the US, then sold them land (Gadsden Purchase).
Offered his aid to the French, then to President Juarez. Both turned him down.
After President Juarez died in 1872, Santa Anna was allowed to return to Mexico. He died in 1876, his legacy being of opportunism and lost territory.