Morazan, Francisco

(1792–1842), President of the Federal Republic of Central America from 1830 to 1839. He rose to prominence at the legendary Battle of La Trinidad in 1827. Subsequently, and until his execution in 1842, Morazán dominated the political and military scene of Central America. In the political arena, he was recognized as a visionary and a great thinker, as he attempted to transform Central America into one large and progressive nation. He enacted liberal reforms in the new Federal Republic of Central America, including freedom of the press, of speech and of religion. Morazán also limited the power of the Church. These reforms made him some powerful enemies, and his period of rule was marked by bitter infighting between liberals and conservatives. However, through his military skills, Morazán was able to keep a firm grip on power until 1837, when the Federal Republic became irrevocably fractured. In order to protect their own interests, conservative leaders rallied around the leadership of Rafael Carrera. This ended up with the division of Central America into five nations.
In his book The Open Veins of Latin America, the Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano mentions that one of the Morazán statues is that of the French marshal, Michel Ney. The statue is said to have been bought at a flea market in France, but the people entrusted to buy it spent the money in binges. Gabriel García Márquez made similar comments. Galeano later retracted.