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The Constitution of Cádiz
This was the organic instrument when Mexico was part of the Spanish Crown under King Ferdinand VII. Article 5 of the Constitution of Cádiz provides that “All free men born and residing in the domains of the Spains, and the progeny of these” are Spaniards. Further to the subject of the “Spains” is article 10, wherein it states that the Spanish territory comprises several historical regions of the Iberian Peninsula, adjacent islands, and the modern-day autonomous communities, parts of Africa. -
Sentimientos de la Nación
It is believed that José María Teclo Morelos y Pavón, who drafted this treatise, was inspired by the actions of one criollo – the progeny of Spaniards born on Mexican soil – Father Miguel Hidalgo [Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla]. Hidalgo took the Virgin of Guadalupe – an autochthonous Virgin – as his coat of arms and declared Mexico’s Independence on September 16, 1810 in the “Cry of Dolores.” This is why Mexico celebrated its bicentennial last year on September 16, 2010. But I digress. -
Plan of Iguala
This document established the Mexican monarchical system that resulted in the creation of the First Mexican Empire under Emperor Agustín de Iturbide. It served the dual purpose of appeasing the Spanish crown (by allowing King Ferdinand VII to be the emperor) and gaining some sense of relative sovereignty amidst the turmoil of the wars of independence that were taking place all over Latin America against Iberian forces. -
Act of Independence of the Mexican Empire
On September 28, 1821 Mexico established its Independence. It was established as a constitutional monarchy.Agustín de Iturbide held the position of first emperor.One of his first actions was to dissolve the first Constituent Congress, which would be in charge of creating the Constitution.This act provoked an armed movement that overthrew him and established a Republic in Mexico. -
The Constitution of 1824
This was the first real Mexican Constitution – it was drafted without foreign forces in mind, since the country had already developed a relatively cohesive national identity. This Constitution came about after the abdication of Agustin I, bringing the First Mexican Empire to an end and recreating Mexico as a Representative Federal Republic. -
Constitutive Act and Reforms
In the middle of the war with the United States, the Constitution of 1824 was restored. Congress considered it legitimate and convenient, but it had to undergo certain reforms. The result was a brief document that eliminated the condition of property or capital to be able to vote and be voted for; The possibility of a law that would place individual guarantees above the rest of the country's laws was also raised. -
The Constitutional Laws of 1836
The second of the seven laws comprising the Constitutional Laws of 1836 created another branch of government: the Supreme Conservation Power, which was made up of five individuals. Its main role was to provide checks and balances for the other three branches and, if necessary, it was to interpret the will of the people. -
Bases and Constitutional Laws of the Mexican Republic
The political instability of independent Mexico was characterized by the dispute between federalism and centralism. In 1836 the Constitutional Bases and Laws of the Mexican Republic were created, which were known as the Seven Laws, transforming the federated states into departments subordinated to a central government. -
Bases Orgánicas de la República Mexicana of 1843
It reestablished capital punishment, restricted freedom of the press and, once again, provided for the support and defense of the Catholic faith.
During this period, the Mexican-American war took place and Texas was annexed into the United States of America. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo brought an end to the war, where Santa Anna gave up claims to Texas and later ceded the modern-day Southwest. And Texas assumed the cartographic shape it has today. -
Constitution of 5 February 1857
What is markedly different about this constitution is the resounding spirit of liberty. It starts out by saying that all men are free and that by merely setting foot on Mexican soil one is set free.
It provides that no corporation, civil or ecclesiastical, shall have the legal capacity to acquire or administer for itself real property, with the sole exception of the buildings destined for its immediate and direct use in the service or objective of the institution. -
Provisional Statute of the Mexican Empire
During Maximilian's empire, an attempt was made to govern under the Provisional Statute of the Mexican Empire, promulgated on April 10, 1865. In it, a moderate monarchy whose sovereignty resided in the monarch was established as a form of government, as long as the definitive organization of the empire was decreed. It established equality before the law, the right to personal security and property, the exercise of worship and the right to publish one's opinions. -
The Constitution of 5 February 1917
As stated earlier, this constitution came with significant, cutting-edge social reforms. These came as a result of the Mexican Revolution. Like many constitutions, it has been amended; however, this constitution is the one that is still in force today. What is also more evident with the most recent Mexican constitutions is a deliberate movement toward secularism.
This is merely an overview of the history of the Mexican Constitution. -
History of the Constituent and Political Constitution of 1917
After almost two months of discussions, on January 31, 1917, the protest of the new Political Constitution was held, by the state representatives that made up the Constituent Congress.
In the elaboration of the 1917 Constitution, 214 legislators took part, whose proposals, echoing the main revolutionary demands, were incorporated into the final text of the Magna Carta, which was signed by 209 deputies. -
History of the Constituent and Political Constitution of 1917
The constituent deputies managed to include revolutionary thought in the constitutional principles of 1917.
These foundations appeal to the revolutionary origin of the 1917 Constitution and reinvent, day by day —since a century ago—, a tradition in which social rights are discussed and incorporated to found and regulate. -
Image of the guarantees in the Mexican society of the 20th century
Article 3 established one of the main guarantees for Mexican society, which states that everyone has the right to receive free secular education.
One of the main institutions that ensures this right is the SEP.
In February 1921, the Chamber of Deputies discussed the project for the creation of the SEP. After heated discussions, it was possible to reform section XVII of Article 73 of the Constitution and replace the Ministry of Public Instruction with the new dependency.