-independence from Spain

1868-1883: Daniel C. Broderick (Confederationist, then Liberal) †

1868 def. José Vidaurri (Anti-Confederationist)

1874 def. Manuel de la Peña (Anti-Confederationist), William Muir (Protectionist)

1880 def. William Muir (Protectionist)

-as effective political leader in SF, leads anti-autocratic activity

-opposes Masonic independentist activities, on the basis of their perceived Protestant supremacism, and steers clear of filibuster attempt from the United States of America

-nevertheless is deeply involved in independentist activity and is briefly imprisoned in 1857-8

-corralling his imprisonment into martyrdom, he leads the independence movement afterwards (with much of its Protestant leadership weakened), including the Cry of Loma Alta calling for a General Junta

-at the General Junta, he advocates the deposition of the Internal Provinces government and its replacement with another, and when it deals with more moderate action, he declares if the petition for autonomy is refused the Junta meet for immediate action

-when petition refused, he then successfully organizes delegates to return in 1864 and issue Declaration of Independence of Buenaventura

-makes return to SF with the new declaration, helps lead uprising that takes the city, pushes towards presidio

-as political general, he directs troop movements down seaboard

-but after a few months, Spanish fleet comes in, quickly takes the city, and pledging to return, Broderick retreats to Encinal [Oakland]and after being beaten there due to the navy, flees to Sacramento where he establishes a camp and successfully defends the San Joaquin Valley from Spanish forces

-maintains leadership of California Provincial Junta through various corrupt but ultimately successful means

-his delegates in the General Junta in El Paso (Comunero-controlled) successfully push for sending feelers to the Spanish, who are facing many more rebellions in their empire

-successfully they bring Spain to the peace table (Spain has more critical rebellions, chiefly one in Mexico), and the Treaty of Lille recognizes Buenaventuran independence

-new constitution establishes a directorial form of government, with Executive Councillors directly elected by open-list PR for six years

-also very centralized constitution, with the General Cortes (with a Senate and a Junta) able to veto all provincial laws

-Broderick's skills, him being Irish (thus Anglo) and a Catholic who can speak Spanish makes him unifier, and he gets the nomination from the North California Provincial Junta thus he gets elected

-warfare with Comanche (increased due to disarray of Revolution) leads him to constitute the Frontier Guard to defend against the threat, includes many of the Five Civilized Tribes due to their long-lasting hatred of them

-fearing the south will secede, he pumps money that way and speaks of the threat of the Spanish

-begins construction of railroad from SF to El Paso and then to mainland just off Galveston, sees it get constructed - he makes sure it gets constructed by the state, with little room for magnates to get their foot in

-other routes get constructed, from El Paso to San Diego

-and then to Monterrey, and from there to Tampico and Matamoros

-with US's Wars > American Civil War (1869-76) and division of US, Broderick sees the opportunity to open up unlimited trade, opens up cattle routes for vaqueros to trade with both sides of the war

-gold, he sells to Constitutional Govt which desperately needs it through Pacific trade to Port Townsend, reaps vast profits from it

-also abolishes all tariffs but a small one, dividing own party between those who endorse it and those who believe tariffs would protect local industry

-but war trade results in widespread wealth for the country, trade of cattle and crops makes Buenaventura quite wealthy

-as do various silver rushes in the nation, creating widespread prosperity

-in the end, with the ACW coming to an end in 1876, trade suddenly slumps, and Broderick's tariff policies receive the blame

-in 1880 election, two Protectionist councillors get elected, while Broderick is able to retain his position

1883-1886: Antonio Bremer (Liberal)

1886-1898: J. Francisco Chaves (Protectionist)

1886 def. Antonio Bremer (Liberal)

1892 def.

1898-1912: (Liberal) †

1898 def.

1904 def.

1910 def.

-1906 SF earthquake decapitates Buenaventura's economy entirely

-recovery bringing immediate aid, rapid reconstruction

1912-1916: (Liberal)

1916-1925: (Association of Workers and Peasants)

1916 def.

1922 def.

1925-1934: (Constitutionalist)

1925: Placed by majority of the Executive Council

-Internal Provinces - Mexican Cession, Texas, northern Mexico

-no peninsular war, Spain keeps American colonies for a while

-Spain also keeps Louisiana until a war with the US in the 1820s

-following the Irish Famine (here in the 1820s), Spain gets a large number of Irish emigrants to migrate to Spanish Texas to serve as buffer against the Americans

-they are joined by some German Catholic emigrants as well

-plantations in Cuba get expanded onto Texas, including a massive import of slaves, and they are granted the very best coastal land

-Cherokee and other members of the "Five Civilized Tribes" granted land in northeastern Texas (after they refuse land in frosty Kansas following Indian Removal), to serve as a buffer against the Comanche and the Americans

-some Americans cross regardless, but not nearly the same number as OTL

-slowly Catholic groups crystallize in Texas, creating a very Hispanicized group but one with very Irish customs

-but growth of plantation economy along the shores pushes out many settlers from their land, also keeps them from expanding into some land, resulting in resentment

-as well as growth of some cities

-gold gets discovered in California in 1858, causing gigantic gold rush

-both Americans and Brits in Columbia move south in the excitement, leaving it largely white-free

-so do Chileans, Mexicans, Australians, Chinese people - relative to OTL it's a lot more Hispanic

-eventually so do Filipinos, including many Chinese Mestizos, leaving ethnic politics very complicated in this San Francisco

-and so do Europeans, catholic immigration aggressively promoted by Spain

-also massive number of Australians coming from their gold rush over there

-Spain quickly imposes its relatively weak authority onto booming SF as well as new gold fields

-new population sees growth of cattle routes to feed them from Texas through New Mexico, also from northern Mexico, unifying economy

-other trade also springs up, and gold passes its way across region which creates inflation

-talk emerges of building a railroad from Texas to California to ease trade, especially after proven that the Buenaventura River does not exist

-railroad plan nicknamed the "Buenaventura Railroad", after it

-but Spain is generally wary of such railroad investment, builds a few for port trade though

-dissatisfaction in California particularly turns into holding of Consultation by various representatives in 1861, sends petition for representative govt to governor

-refused, and before they can meet for further action, US-sponsored filibuster happens, results in Spain panicking and refusing to allow Consultation to meet

-attempts to organize shadow meeting also fails because Hispanic reps refuse it

-but Spanish attempts to suppress liberalism, growing sentiments for elective institutions result in growing talk across Spanish Empire

-their establishment of very mediocre oligarchical councils don't help at all

-crisis escalates further following discovery of [Comstock Lode]in 1862

-Spain tries to stop yet more Anglo settlers by instituting mining licenses (clearly biased in favor of its supporters)

-causes rebellion, minors saying oath to a flag (now Buenaventuran flag today)

-jeered as Comuneros by the Spanish, the independentists adopt the name in reference to the Comunero Revolt and their fight for autonomy

-fly purple flags in honor of them, and to invoke their imagery

-also fly Crosses of Burgundy in memorial of its perceived legacy of autonomism, the two are combined to create a yellow saltire on a purple background

-in reaction, another Consultation emerges from SF in 1863, talks of holding national junta to send a petition and refuses all annexationism

-runaway effect, Consultations held across Internal Provinces and, to a lesser extent, Mexico, to elect delegates from towns to a junta

-in 1864, a General Junta of the Internal Provinces is held with reps from towns across it

-Spain tries to suppress it, stop it from organizing

-when junta meets, declares the independence of the Internal Provinces as the "United Provinces of Buenaventura", at this point still nominally in personal union with Spain

-in hopes war could be avoided, they don't tear personal union, doesn't work though

-Spain badly stressed by multiple revolts across the empire, still a fairly long fight due to the difficulties of unity

-SF falls fairly quickly to local revolutionaries, as do many Texan towns

-but Spanish naval superiority means SF falls, and a charge at Galveston is unthinkable

-nevertheless, a lot of dissent in SF and Oakland is under rebel control

-a lot of unofficial American support from the North, while the South regards antislavery nature of rebellion esp. in Texas unthinkably vile

-including massive numbers of northern American volunteers

-an attempt is made to launch a filibuster from Port Townsend to take SF, but it's easily beaten back and the US charges them with violating the Neutrality Act

-many rebels (mostly Irish) in Texas hate plantation system because it is something they can't compete with, they help destroy it and slaves escape into rebel lines in large numbers

-furthermore, escapees from Orleans flee into rebel lines as well, stoking fears

-eventually, core of rebellion moves into interior, as revolutionaries oust Spanish from Santa Fe and National Junta is headquartered there

-but with it being clear that rebellion creeping towards the coasts, plantation economy in Texas being blown up by slave escapes, and other rebellion in more critical parts of the Spanish Empire, Spain decides to cut its losses and recognize the independence of Buenaventura as a republic

-new postwar Constitution entrenches Anglo-Hispano bilingualism in the entire country

-establishes directorial system as many suspicious of presidentialism, and is an extension of rebel system and many fear otherwise will benefit anglos or hispanos

-carves out a few provinces

-Northern and Southern California, which effectively had separate revolutions centred around diff cities, are separated

-the nothern interior is made Yuta, a vast province spanning (what is then) territory with few whites

-New Mexico, with most of OTL New Mexico and also a large swathe of Texas

-first leader of directory is Irish Catholic named Daniel Broderick (let's say) and establishes powerful political machine which rules SF handily

-successful because he is effective politician, and because as an Anglo Catholic he straddles the line between the two linguistic groups

-because this rebellion is anti-slavery it divides opinion in the US, northerners like it for being American inspired and southerners hate it for abolishing slavery, it increases sectional tensions massively and causes a civil war to break out in 1869