As the hub around which the wheel of government revolves, the executive is the active force in government. As such, it performs a number of functions and exercises certain powers which are necessary for the survival of the political system. Some of these powers and functions of the executive are explained below.

The First Mexican Empire was the sovereign State that was constituted after the declaration of the Independence of Mexico, in 1821. This empire lasted only 17 months, since it was proclaimed on August 24, 1821 and dissolved on April 8, 1823. The only monarch of the First Mexican Empire was the Creole General Agustín de Iturbide, who adopted the name of Agustín I. Iturbide's reign ended when his opponents, led by General Antonio López de Santa Anna and Guadalupe Victoria, took up arms against he.