Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, His Wooden Leg, and the Beginning of Baseball in Mexico

Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón, more commonly known as General Santa Anna,was an interesting and polarizing figure in Mexican history to say the least. Santa Anna had lived a long and controversial life. He had become president of Mexico 11 times over a 22-year span where he led military units, defeated Spaniard invaders, and then turned around and supported those same Spanish invaders. He also played a huge role in the Mexican-American War in 1847 as he led the infamous attack on the Alamo. He was known as “a man without integrity, an opportunist” [1] who would do anything, including turning on his own people, if it were for the benefit of himself. He even self-appointed himself as the “Napoleon of the West.” [2] Lopez also used a prosthetic cork leg to get around because a cannon blast forced him to amputate his leg. It turned out that the prosthetic leg would serve another purpose as well during the Mexican War in 1847; that use being to play the first game of baseball in Mexico.

General Santa Anna's Wooden Leg (Illinois State Military Museum)

The story of the “peg-leg bat” began in 1847 when General Santa Anna was ambushed by the 4^thIllinois infantry unit while he was eating his lunch…

“In 1847, his artificial leg was captured by soldiers of the 4th Illinois Infantry, which is why it's in the Illinois State Military Museum. Santa Anna was eating lunch during a battle with the United States when the Americans surprised him, and he galloped off without his leg. The sergeant who grabbed the wooden (and cork) leg exhibited it at county fairs for a dime a peek, but since 1922 it's been in the care of Illinois National Guard.” –Bill Hatcher (Illinois State Military Museum) [3]

So Lieutenant Sergeant Abner Doubleday gathered the troops for a game of baseball south of the border where Santa Anna’s wooden peg leg was used as the baseball bat, according to the Baseball History Timeline. [4]

While it is still debated whether or not Abner Doubleday actually invented the game of baseball, he did in fact play the game with his troops in Mexico using a wooden leg as a bat. This was the first instance the game of baseball had been introduced to our southern neighbors. The game sparked the Mexicans’ interest, which led to them to take notice of America’s national pastime shortly thereafter. Baseball has now become a dominant sport in Mexican culture, where they have 16 leagues that take place during the summer. Not to mention the rich history of players in Major League Baseball; from Cy Young award winner Fernando Venezuela, to current superstar Alex Rodriguez. Who could have guessed that it all could have started from a prosthetic wooden leg that belonged to one of the most “hated” [3] Mexican military officials of all time?

The leg is currently on display at the Illinois State Military Museum in Springfield, Illinois. Even though General Santa Anna was strongly villainized by the Mexican people, the Mexican government has still requested to have the leg back according to museum guide Bill Hatcher stating that, “Mexico don’t want it, but we ain’t giving it back anyhow.” [3]