Morazán, Francisco (fränsēsˈkō mōräsänˈ) [key], 1799–1842, Central American statesman, b. Tegucigalpa, Honduras. He led the revolutionary army that overthrew (1829) the regime of Manuel José Arce and was proclaimed president of the Central American Federation in 1830. The opponents of Guatemalan domination caused Morazán to move the capital from Guatemala to San Salvador. As a liberal he promoted education and abolished most monastic orders. The spiritual father of federalism in Central America, he fought vigorously for his ideals, but when elected for a second term he was unable to combat widespread apathy and the increasing opposition of the conservatives; his congress dissolved the federation in 1838. Nevertheless, in 1839 he attempted to recapture Guatemala from Rafael Carrera, but was defeated. In the following year he went into voluntary exile until recalled in 1842 by Costa Rica and proclaimed president there. Again he attempted to restore Central American unity but was betrayed and shot Sept. 15, 1842, by his own partisans.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.