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Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna's Hand-Drawn Battle Map

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Maps, Atlases & Globes Start Price:NA Estimated At:100,000.00 - 150,000.00 USD
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna's Hand-Drawn Battle Map

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Auction Date:2017 Oct 26 @ 18:00 (UTC-5 : EST/CDT)
Location:236 Commercial St., Suite 100, Boston, Massachusetts, 02109, United States
ALS - Autograph Letter Signed
ANS - Autograph Note Signed
AQS - Autograph Quotation Signed
AMQS - Autograph Musical Quotation Signed
DS - Document Signed
FDC - First Day Cover
Inscribed - “Personalized”
ISP - Inscribed Signed Photograph
LS - Letter Signed
SP - Signed Photograph
TLS - Typed Letter Signed
Absolutely amazing hand-drawn battle map, 13.5 x 43.5, headed in Spanish, “Mapao de las Fortificaciones de Zacatecas dada por El Em. General Presidente Santa Anna contra las tropas Zacatecanas 11 de Mayo 1835” [Map of the Fortifications of Zacatecas given by the President General Santa Anna against the troops], captured with Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto. The exceptionally detailed color-tinted map shows the town of Zacatecas, nestled in a valley between Cerro y Reducto del Grillo and Cerro y Fortin de Bufa, complete with its church and town mall. A map legend in the lower right is broken into two sections, “de la Division de Zacatecas [Division of Zacatecas],” and “del Ejercito del Jobienogil,” showing the symbols for infantry, artillery, cavalry. The majority of the forces appear to be massed near La Villa de Guadalupe, with rows of infantry and cavalry, a Primera Linea de Batalla [front line],” a secondary line, the “Linea de Vigilantes de la artilleria [Rangers Line artillery],” and a “Linea de Alumbradas [Lighting Line].” Also present is the Zacateas fortification line to the south of the town, the “Reducto de la Federacion,” as well as the mountain stronghold. In the lower left corner an area is designated as “Campo de General Santa Anna [General Santa Anna’s camp],” with an oval-shaped dotted line extending northeastward headed “Linea que Corrio el General S. Anna en su reconocimiento.” Another notation, above the legend reads, “Ataque Mandado por el General Presidente y el General [attack commanded by General President and General].”

Handwritten below the title is “Memorandum made by Dr. Alex Dienst, Temple, Texas, 1915. It is my opinion this excellent map was made for Santa Anna. In this battle Santa Anna was overwhelmingly victorious. Zacatecas & Coahuila & Texas had declared they would stand for the Constitution of 1824. Zacatecas was the first to be visited by Santa Anna. He followed this campaign by entering Texas—winning the Alamo at San Antonio marched on to San Jacinto where he met his defeat April 21–1836. This map is unique and exceedingly valuable.” A faded ink notation is also visible next to the aforementioned note. Also written on the reverse in an unknown hand, “Unique. This map is said to have been in Genl Santa Anna’s Camp equipment at Battle of San Jacinto April 21–22–1836. It was when he overcame the Zacatecans on May 11–1835 that Santa Anna styled himself ‘The Napoleon of the West.’”

Simply framed with glass on both sides to an overall size of 15 x 45. Four areas of paper loss to edges, uniform light toning, old repairs to tears and paper loss to upper portion and bottom left corner, scattered damp staining, previous storage folds, and expected age wear, otherwise good to very good condition. While both sides of the map are viewable, it has not been examined outside of the frame.

News that the citizens of Zacatecas had joined the northern Mexican state of Texas in protest of an 1835 political coup did not sit well with Santa Anna, the Mexican general who, while serving as Mexico’s president, suspended Mexico’s 1824 federalist constitution and established a dictatorship. When Zacatecas authorities flatly refused to obey one of the general’s orders regarding a militia, Santa Anna became enraged, deciding that such a rebellion had to be crushed in one fell swoop—and he set out to do precisely that.

With him on his rampage was this remarkable artifact—a grand item not only in its large size but in its historical impact. Made in ink and watercolor wash specifically for Santa Anna, this Zacatecas map could have been instrumental in his overwhelming victory. It is dated May 1835, coinciding with his arrival on May 10, 1835. History shows that Santa Anna was as calculating as he was brutal. Rather than rush into combat against an enemy with whom he was purportedly ‘unimpressed,’ he patiently assessed the situation and the rebels’ positions for days, possibly using this map to outline his plan of attack. Carefully planning every move, Santa Anna led three infantry divisions in a two-hour battle described as a ‘wall of fire and steel’ to put an end to the unrest. The fight may have been brief, but it was brutal, with the outmatched defenders butchered by Santa Anna’s troops. To the victor went the spoils: although Santa Anna allowed the nearly 2,500 Zacatecanos who surrendered to go free, his soldiers were rewarded with two days of pillage, in which as many as 2,000 people died.

The victorious general, retaining this map as a reminder, now viewed himself as the ‘Napoleon of the West’ and was more determined than ever to ensure that the Texans who had been evading or flat out disobeying his orders either came into line or were to be destroyed. The Alamo defenders, of course, found it better to die on their feet than serve a dictator on their knees. Once again showing his cold, calculating nature, Santa Anna and his forces engaged the men at the Alamo in a few minor skirmishes before launching a massive offensive. Like Napoleon, he would encounter his own Waterloo at the Battle of San Jacinto in April 1836, where this map was confiscated following his capture. An astonishingly beautiful document, intricately and painstakingly penned, teeming with tiny, intriguing details, yet hiding its underlying brutality. Provenance: The Robert Davis Collection.