From 1855 to 1874, Santa Anna lived in exile in Cuba, the United States, Colombia, and the then Danish island of Saint Thomas.
He had left Mexico due to his unpopularity with the Mexican people after his defeat in 1848 and traveled to and from Cuba, the United States, and Europe.
He participated in gambling and businesses with the hopes that he would become rich.
In the 1850s, he traveled to New York with the first shipment of chicle.
This is the base of what we know today as chewing gum, however, Santa Anna intended chicle to be used in buggy tires.
He attempted but was unsuccessful in convincing U.S. wheel manufacturers that this substance could be more useful in tires than the materials they were originally using.
Although he introduced chewing gum to the United States, he did not make any money from the product.

In 1865, he attempted to return and offer his services during the French invasion seeking once again to play the role as the country's defender and savior, only to be refused by Juárez.
Later that year a schooner owned by Gilbert Thompson, son-in-law of Daniel Tompkins, brought Santa Anna to his home in Staten Island, New York, where he tried to raise money for an army to return and take over Mexico City.

Thomas Adams, the American assigned to aid Santa Anna while he was in the U.S., experimented with chicle in an attempt to use it as a substitute for rubber.
He bought one ton of the substance from Santa Anna, but his experiments proved unsuccessful.
Instead, Adams helped to found the chewing gum industry with a product that he called "chiclets."

During his many years in exile, Santa Anna was a passionate fan of the sport of cockfighting.
He had many roosters that he entered into competitions, and would have his roosters compete with cocks from all over the world.
He would invite breeders from all over the world for matches and is known to have spent tens of thousands of dollars on prize roosters.

In 1874, he took advantage of a general amnesty issued by President Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada and returned to Mexico, by then crippled and almost blind from cataracts.
The Mexican government ignored him the same year at the anniversary of the Battle of Churubusco.
Having retreated from politics in 1855, he remained disconnected until his death in 1876.
Santa Anna died at his home in Mexico City on 21 June 1876 at age 82.
He was buried with full military honors in a glass coffin in Panteón del Tepeyac Cemetery.
From 1855 to 1874, Santa Anna lived in exile in Cuba, the United States, Colombia, and the then Danish island of Saint Thomas. He had left Mexico due to his unpopularity with the Mexican people after his defeat in 1848 and traveled to and from Cuba, the United States, and Europe. He participated in gambling and businesses with the hopes that he would become rich. In the 1850s, he traveled to New York with the first shipment of chicle. This is the base of what we know today as chewing gum, however, Santa Anna intended chicle to be used in buggy tires. He attempted but was unsuccessful in convincing U.S. wheel manufacturers that this substance could be more useful in tires than the materials they were originally using. Although he introduced chewing gum to the United States, he did not make any money from the product.
In 1865, he attempted to return and offer his services during the French invasion seeking once again to play the role as the country's defender and savior, only to be refused by Juárez. Later that year a schooner owned by Gilbert Thompson, son-in-law of Daniel Tompkins, brought Santa Anna to his home in Staten Island, New York, where he tried to raise money for an army to return and take over Mexico City.
Thomas Adams, the American assigned to aid Santa Anna while he was in the U.S., experimented with chicle in an attempt to use it as a substitute for rubber. He bought one ton of the substance from Santa Anna, but his experiments proved unsuccessful. Instead, Adams helped to found the chewing gum industry with a product that he called "chiclets."
During his many years in exile, Santa Anna was a passionate fan of the sport of cockfighting. He had many roosters that he entered into competitions, and would have his roosters compete with cocks from all over the world. He would invite breeders from all over the world for matches and is known to have spent tens of thousands of dollars on prize roosters.
In 1874, he took advantage of a general amnesty issued by President Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada and returned to Mexico, by then crippled and almost blind from cataracts. The Mexican government ignored him the same year at the anniversary of the Battle of Churubusco. Having retreated from politics in 1855, he remained disconnected until his death in 1876. Santa Anna died at his home in Mexico City on 21 June 1876 at age 82. He was buried with full military honors in a glass coffin in Panteón del Tepeyac Cemetery.
Antonio López de Santa Anna