Who became the first leader of Mexico after independence?

• A. Agustin Iturbide
• B. Miguel Hidalgo
• C. Jose Maria Morelos
• D. Fray Damian Massanet

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is who first led Mexico after it won independence from Spain. After independence in 1821, Agustín de Iturbide emerged as the key figure who helped unify the nation under a new framework. He led the Plan of Iguala, which helped secure independence and establish a constitutional arrangement, and he became Emperor Agustín I, ruling from 1822 to 1823. This places him as the first recognized leader of the independent Mexican state.

Miguel Hidalgo and José María Morelos were important figures in the fight for independence, but they did not serve as the country’s leader after independence—their roles were during the war itself and both were killed before independence was achieved. Fray Damian Massanet was a colonial-era missionary, not a post-independence political leader.