The Imperial Order of Guadalupe (originally known as “National Order of Our Lady of Guadalupe”) was established by Emperor Agustín I of Mexico in the fall of 1821 – although its statutes would not be published until February 1822.
The order was originally divided into two classes: Grand Cross and Numerary Member. After the death of the Agustin I, the Order fell out of use and remained inactive for 30 years until Antonio López de Santa Anna convinced Pope Pius IX to recognize it in 1854. It fell into disuse again in August of that same year after the successful Ayutla Revolution and the ousting of Santa Anna from government.
The third and last period of the Order began on June 30, 1863, before the arrival of Maximilian I, by decree of the Provisional Imperial Government. Maximilian I modified the statutes of the Order for the last time on April 10, 1865, renaming the order “Imperial” (instead of “National”) and divided it into four ranks, each with civilian and military divisions:
- Grand Cross, limited to 30 recipients.
- Grand Officer, limited to 100 recipients.
- Commander, limited to 200 recipients.
- Knight, limited to 500 recipients.
