[1] He was appointed by Francisco Ferrera as Vice President of Honduras from 1841 to 1843, and for the week prior to his taking office he had been a member of the council of ministers that was running Honduras along with Casto Alvarado.

Chávez and Santos Guardiola, Francisco Ferrera, and Felipe Jáuregui formed a "clique" and operated in each other's interests.

[6] His presidency began in 8 January 1845 after Francisco Ferrera's second term ended, being elected by the legislature.

However, Chávez is said to have acted as the puppet of Ferrera, who remained the effective leader.

[3] He created the Literary Society of Honduras in 1846, which became the state university in 1850 under Juan Lindo.