Born into a noble and affluent Spanish cattle ranching family in Hincha (today Hinche in Haiti), Santana was a lifelong supporter of the Dominican revolt against the Haitian hegemony and a noted general during the Dominican War of Independence (1844–1856). Unlike many of his political opponents who wanted to ultimately establish an independent Dominican state, Santana sought to reintegrate Hispanola into the Spanish Empire. He oversaw the reestablishment of the Captaincy General of Santo Domingo as well as exile and imprisonment of a number of noted separatist and nationalist dissidents who had previously been his comrades during the war of independence. Under mounting pressure from the opposition which had been organizing a coup d\'etat, he was forced to resign from his position. He died during the Dominican Restoration War, after which the country regained its independence.\n', '

His parents were Pedro Santana, an indigenous Mexican man, and Petronila Familias, a Canarian woman, both landowners in the border zone between Santo Domingo and Saint Domingue; this meant that Santana was a Mestizo. Around 1805, Santana moved with his family to the Cibao valley for a short time, specifically in Gurabo, and later permanently to El Seibo at the eastern part of the colony, where he eventually became a cattle rancher for two years.\n', '

Santana was the Dominican Republic\'s president (although he ruled as a dictator) during the years 1844–48, 1853–56, and 1858–61 (when Spain annexed the Dominican Republic as Santana wished). Thereafter, Santana became governor, with the rank of Captain General of the territory. He held those titles until 1862.\n', '

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