vatives, who were supported by the army and the church.
             Facing a tremendous crisis in debt, General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna rose to a position of dominance from the conservative group. He succeeded in raising capital from foreign countries, only to mismanage the funds by overpaying the military and corrupted government officials. Additionally, Mexico engaged itself in war with the United States over land involving what are now parts of Texas, New Mexico, and California. The country was consequently thrown into economic collapse.
             The period from 1855 to 1876 was marked by liberal reform. In 1855, Santa Anna was overthrown by liberalists led by Melchor Ocampo Ignacio Comonfort (the first liberal president after Santa Anna) and an Indian named Benito Juarez (the hero of 19th century Mexico). The leaders wanted to secure democracy and individual rights for all of Mexico. In 1857, a Constitution was formed that severed the political power between the chu
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