Ejército Trigarante
In 1821, he signed on to the Plan of Iguala and joined the Army of the Three Guarantees. During the First Mexican Empire, he fought in the Battle of Almolonga on the side of Agustin de Iturbide and the imperialists against the republican rebels. In this battle, he defeated the rebel army under the command of his old adversaries, Vicente Guerrero and Nicolás Bravo