Santa Anna was elected president on 1 April 1833, but while he desired the title, he was not interested in governing.
According to Mexican historian Enrique Krauze, "It annoyed him and bored him, and perhaps frightened him."
A biographer of Santa Anna described him in this period as the "absentee president."
Santa Anna's vice president, civilian liberal, medical doctor, Valentín Gómez Farías, took over the responsibility of the governing of the nation.
Santa Anna retired to his Veracruz hacienda, Manga de Clavo.
Gómez Farías was a moderate, but he had a radical liberal congress with which to contend, perhaps a reason that Santa Anna left executive power to his vice president.
The nation was faced with an empty treasury and the 11 million peso debt incurred by the Bustamante government.
He could not cut back on the bloated expenditures on the army and sought other revenues.
Taking a chapter out of the late colonial Spanish reforms, the government targeted the Roman Catholic Church.
Anticlericalism was a tenet of Mexican liberalism, and the church had supported Bustamante's government, so targeting that institution was a logical move.
Tithing (a 10% tax on agricultural production) was abolished as a legal obligation, and church property and finances were seized.
The church's role in education was reduced and the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico closed.
All this caused concern among Mexican conservatives.
Gómez Farías also sought to extend these reforms to the frontier province of Alta California, promoting legislation to secularize the Franciscan missions there.
In 1833 he organized the Híjar-Padrés colony to bolster non-mission civilian settlement.
A secondary goal of the colony was to help defend Alta California against perceived Russian colonial ambitions from the trading post at Fort Ross.
However, for liberal intellectual and Catholic priest, José María Luis Mora, selling church property was the key to "transforming Mexico into a liberal, progressive nation of small landowners."
Sale of nonessential church property would bring in much-needed revenue to the treasury.
The army was also targeted for reform, since it was the largest-single expenditure in the national budget.
On Santa Anna's suggestion, the number of battalions was to be reduced as well as the number of generals and brigadiers.

A law was issued, the Ley del Caso that called for the arrest of 51 politicians, including former president Bustamante for holding "unpatriotic" beliefs and ordered them expelled from the republic.
Gómez Farías claimed that Santa Anna was the driving force for the law, which evidence seems to support.
With increasing resistance from the church as well as the army, the Plan of Cuernavaca was issued, likely orchestrated by former general and governor of the Federal District, José María Tornel.
The plan called for repeal the Ley del Caso and discouraged tolerance of the influence of Masonic lodges, where politics was pursued in secrecy; declared void the laws passed by Congress and the local legislatures in favor of the reforms; requested the protection of President Santa Anna to fulfill the plan, and recognize him as the only authority; removal from office the deputies and officials who carried out enforcement of the reform laws and decrees; and provided military force to support the president in implementing the plan.

As the tide turned against the radical reforms, Santa Anna was persuaded to return to the presidency, and Gómez Farías resigned.
This set the stage for conservative to reshape Mexico's government from a federalist republic to a unitary central republic.
Santa Anna was elected president on 1 April 1833, but while he desired the title, he was not interested in governing. According to Mexican historian Enrique Krauze, "It annoyed him and bored him, and perhaps frightened him." A biographer of Santa Anna described him in this period as the "absentee president." Santa Anna's vice president, civilian liberal, medical doctor, Valentín Gómez Farías, took over the responsibility of the governing of the nation. Santa Anna retired to his Veracruz hacienda, Manga de Clavo. Gómez Farías was a moderate, but he had a radical liberal congress with which to contend, perhaps a reason that Santa Anna left executive power to his vice president. The nation was faced with an empty treasury and the 11 million peso debt incurred by the Bustamante government. He could not cut back on the bloated expenditures on the army and sought other revenues. Taking a chapter out of the late colonial Spanish reforms, the government targeted the Roman Catholic Church. Anticlericalism was a tenet of Mexican liberalism, and the church had supported Bustamante's government, so targeting that institution was a logical move. Tithing (a 10% tax on agricultural production) was abolished as a legal obligation, and church property and finances were seized. The church's role in education was reduced and the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico closed. All this caused concern among Mexican conservatives. Gómez Farías also sought to extend these reforms to the frontier province of Alta California, promoting legislation to secularize the Franciscan missions there. In 1833 he organized the Híjar-Padrés colony to bolster non-mission civilian settlement. A secondary goal of the colony was to help defend Alta California against perceived Russian colonial ambitions from the trading post at Fort Ross. However, for liberal intellectual and Catholic priest, José María Luis Mora, selling church property was the key to "transforming Mexico into a liberal, progressive nation of small landowners." Sale of nonessential church property would bring in much-needed revenue to the treasury. The army was also targeted for reform, since it was the largest-single expenditure in the national budget. On Santa Anna's suggestion, the number of battalions was to be reduced as well as the number of generals and brigadiers.
A law was issued, the Ley del Caso that called for the arrest of 51 politicians, including former president Bustamante for holding "unpatriotic" beliefs and ordered them expelled from the republic. Gómez Farías claimed that Santa Anna was the driving force for the law, which evidence seems to support. With increasing resistance from the church as well as the army, the Plan of Cuernavaca was issued, likely orchestrated by former general and governor of the Federal District, José María Tornel. The plan called for repeal the Ley del Caso and discouraged tolerance of the influence of Masonic lodges, where politics was pursued in secrecy; declared void the laws passed by Congress and the local legislatures in favor of the reforms; requested the protection of President Santa Anna to fulfill the plan, and recognize him as the only authority; removal from office the deputies and officials who carried out enforcement of the reform laws and decrees; and provided military force to support the president in implementing the plan.
As the tide turned against the radical reforms, Santa Anna was persuaded to return to the presidency, and Gómez Farías resigned. This set the stage for conservative to reshape Mexico's government from a federalist republic to a unitary central republic.
Antonio López de Santa Anna