Mexico’s Independence Movement Led by Miguel Hidalgo y Castilla

The Library of Congress features Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Roman Catholic priest, who first uttered the Grito de Dolores, the battle cry of the Mexican War of Independence from Spain on September 16, 1810 (Tikkanen, 2018). He ran to his church and rang a bell. He urged the Indian and the Mestizo community to fight for Mexico’s Independence from Spain and his battle cry was, “Long live the Virgin de Guadalupe, and death to the Spaniards!” (Chasteen, 2016, p. 103).

Hidalgo was involved in a plot against the Spanish colonial government and when he was betrayed, he acted immediately. His cry motivated thousands of men, women, and children. They all carried ‘weapons’ that were mostly farming tools while they hurriedly went to an important mining center of Guanajuato. The Peninsulars or gachupines, who were working were barricaded and hundreds died. The war with almost 80,000 was a result of Hidalgo’s patriotism and he was captured. He repented publicly and then was executed. Although the leader of the independence movement was now deceased, the ideals were still prevalent. Father Jose Maria Morelos still raised a torch of rebellion and formed an organized army. His goals were to end slavery and prohibited the caste system. In 1813, he declared independence and his movement had power until he was executed in 1815. Small guerilla wars arose as individuals kept defying the Mexican government. Eventually, they were able to gain independence from the Spanish colonial rule (Chasteen, 2016).

In commemoration of Hidalgo’s efforts, every year on the night of September 15^th, the president does a rendition of “El Grito” in Mexico City. The ceremony is broadcast, and many small cities perform a similar performance in their villages (Tikkanen, 2018).

Works Cited

Arroyo, Antonio Vanegas. Viva La República! Viva El Cura Hidalgo! Una Página De Gloria. The Library of Congress. 1810.

Chasteen, John Charles. “Independence: The Spanish American Rebellions Begin, 1810-1815.” Essay. In Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America, 101-104. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2016.

Tikkanen, Amy. “Grito De Dolores.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 2018. https://www.britannica.com/event/Grito-de-Dolores.

By: Giselle Rivera