Santiago Méndez Ibarra was governor of Yucatán

Yucatán

Yucatán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities and its capital city is Mérida....

, Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 3 times from 1840 to 1857: 1840 - 1844; 1847 - 1848; 1855 - 1857, alternating that office with Miguel Barbachano

Miguel Barbachano

Miguel Barbachano y Tarrazo was a liberal Yucatecan politician, who was 5 times governor of Yucatán between 1841 and 1853....

 mainly during his first and second terms.

Méndez was a moderate who advocated a strict conservative financial policy for the government. He was noted for his honesty, and gained no personal fortune from his years in governmental power.

Santiago Méndez was more in favor of union with Mexico than Barbachano, but twice presided over Yucatán declaring its independence, due to frustration with Mexican dictator Antonio López de Santa Anna

Antonio López de Santa Anna

Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...

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Santiago Méndez was father of Concepción Méndez Echazarreta and grandfather of Justo Sierra Méndez. Justo Sierra O'Reilly, his son-in-law collaborated with him in policy.