March 19, 1812 - Constitution of Cádiz

On March 19, 1812, the Cortes meeting in Cádiz, during the Napoleonic occupation of Spain, promulgated the Constitution of Cádiz, Spain’s first constitution. Deputies from the Peninsula and from the territories in the Americas and Asia, including New Spain, took part. It is the document about the changes in Spain that also affected New Spain: it limited the king’s power, established equality before the law and reorganized New Spain into six provinces, each with its own provincial council.

It was in force in New Spain from 1812 to 1814 and again in 1820. One of its innovations was freedom of the press, which abolished prior censorship of political writing and allowed new newspapers to appear. In its honor, Mexico City’s main square was named Plaza de la Constitución, today the Zócalo. It should not be confused with the 1814 Constitution of Apatzingán, written by Morelos’s insurgents.