matter upon which it was decided to shut congress down. On December 1, during a brief recess the military shut the doors of the legislative chambers. The ministry condemned congress and defended its measures as necessary to meet the national emergency. This led to public protest and the Ayuntamiento of Mexico City, and the Assembly of the Department of Mexico sided with congress. A statue of Santa Anna was vandalized with a noose around its neck. By this time troops at the capital were expressing support for Paredes’ revolt and called upon Jose Joaquin Herrera to assume the presidency. Herrera summoned the deposed deputies and on December 6, issued an appeal to Canalizo to support congress and prevent bloodshed. As he saw that his support had evaporated Canalizo stepped down and handed the presidency over to Jose Joaquin Herrera. Post Presidency Canalizo was tried by the government and accused of trying to overthrow the constitution. In his defense, Canalizo claimed that he had no intention of abolishing the congress but merely suspending it due to the extraordinary circumstances. A general amnesty was passed by congress, but Canalizo preferred to leave the country. On October 25, 1845 he set out for Spain, but returned during the Mexican-American War in 1846. He was made Minister of War under the administration of Valentin Gomez Farias. and supported the government's controversial measures of nationalizing the Catholic Church's lands, in order to fund the war. He stepped down on February 23 and was assigned a military command to defend Veracruz with General Romulo Diaz de la Vega as his second in command. He was present at the Battle of Cerro Gordo, in charge of cavalry. His conduct during that battle, retreating without fighting, and abandoning a large amount of supplies, led to a congressional proposal to start an investigation. He no longer played any notable role in the war, and never again assumed any political office. He died in obscurity on February 20, 1850. See also List of heads of state of Mexico References Further reading "Canalizo, Valentín", Enciclopedia de México, v. 3. Mexico City, 1996, . García Puron, Manuel, México y sus gobernantes, v. 2. Mexico City: Joaquín Porrúa, 1984. Orozco Linares, Fernando, Gobernantes de México. Mexico City: Panorama Editorial, 1985. External links Short biography Short biography at Encarta |- Presidents of Mexico Mexican people of Spanish descent Mexican generals Mexican Secretaries of Defense