Central American Federation Central American Federation or
Central American Union, political confederation (1825–38) of the
republics of Central America—Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras,
Nicaragua, and Salvador. United under a captaincy general in
Spanish colonial times, they gained independence in 1821 and
were briefly annexed to the Mexican empire formed by Agustín de
Iturbide. The nations joined in a loose federal state,
appointing (1825–29) as first president Manuel José Arce, who
was succeeded (1830–38) by the liberal leader Francisco Morazán.
Political and personal rivalries between liberals and
conservatives, poor communication, and the fear of the hegemony
of one state over another led to dissolution (1838) of the
congress and the defeat (1839) of Morazán's forces by Rafael
Carrera. In 1842, Morazán made an abortive attempt to
reestablish the federation from Costa Rica. Later efforts by
Nicaragua, Honduras, and Salvador failed, and the attempts of
Justo Rufino Barrios (1885) and José Santos Zelaya (189