September is national holiday month in Mexico, commemorating the start of the War of Independence which began on the streets of San Miguel on September 16, 1810. The two leaders of this movement were Ignacio Allende, native son of San Miguel; and Miguel Hidalgo, from the nearby town of Dolores. These two, the former a military man, leader of the dragoons of San Miguel, and the latter a progressive priest, joined forces to lead a new army of insurgents with the goal of liberating New Spain, and establishing its sovereignty as a new nation called Mexico.
Allende and Hidalgo: The military strategist and the philosopher, priest.
After the revolt’s rousing beginning, where a large, ragtag army invaded the streets of San Miguel and took over the city, the insurgents moved onwards. They quickly experienced major victories and continued onward with the hope of capturing the prize—Mexico City. Perhaps one of the major errors in judgement was the choice of the top leader of the military campaign. Instead of choosing Ignacio Allende, who was a veteran of other battles and an outstanding military man, the position of captain general was given to the priest Hidalgo, making him the head of the army and the final decision maker in any military matters. Hidalgo became the captain general, and Allende was made lieutenant general. We will never know exactly why this choice was made—was the priest more clever with his words, more charming? But he may not have been the right man at the top; charm is not the main quality needed in a military leader, and Hidalgo eventually proved to be incompetent in that role.
There was a major philosophical difference between the two men. Allende, although dedicated to warring as a profession, had a strong philosophy of treating opponents with dignity, and not executing prisoners. He was a man of strength but also of compassion for those he defeated. Hidalgo, on the other hand, seemed so filled with hatred for the Spaniards that he did not care about any mistreatment upon them. This was demonstrated early in the capture of the Alhondiga de Granaditos in the city of Guanajuato. The Spaniards who had fled from San Miguel when the rebel army took over the city, sought refuge in the Alhondiga, a granary that was practically a fortress. Some 300 men, women, and children hid behind the high walls, terrified of the rancorous wrath of the insurgents and fighting for their lives. Below is a representation of the battle.
The rebel army attacked the building, laid siege to it, and finally overcame those within. Although there was talk of surrender with hope of mercy, that did not happen. The soldiers overran the interior and massacred all those within, then ran off with whatever valuables they found. Although Allende was horrified, Hidalago would not stop the men from pillaging and killing. This incident created a major rift between Allende and Hidalgo, which continued over the extent of their joint military venture.
After the Alhondiga massacre, there were other military victories, but the rebel army’s success was short-lived. They continued their march toward Mexico City, suffered a major defeat at the Battle of Calderon Bridge, and then on March 21, 1811 the decimated army was ambushed at the Acatita de Bajan. Allende saw his son shot to death in battle, and then both Allende and Hidalgo were taken prisoners, quickly tried, found guilty of treason, and executed by firing squad.
The capture of Ignacio Allende
Allende died on June 26, 1811, and Hidalgo, whom they first had to defrock before executing him, faced the firing squad on July 30, 1811. With the death of these two leaders, the first phase of the War of Independence came to a close. But the cause did not die with Allende and Hidalgo, the desire for independence had been ignited and was taken up by others—the fight for sovereignty continued.
Jose Maria Morelos was a revolutionary priest who had worked with Allende and Hidalgo, and he assumed leadership of the Mexican independence movement. Morelos, born on September 30, 1765 in Valladolid (today Morelia), came from poverty and was of mixed ethnic heritage—Spanish, indigenous, and African. He first worked as a muleteer and cowhand until at the age of 25 when he began to study for the priesthood. He joined the rebel army early in 1811, and after the death of Allende and Hidalgo took command of the movement.
Morelos objective was to create a republican government in which “all Mexican people would participate,” the abolition of slavery, and elimination of divisions between races and ethnicities. Lacking manpower he turned increasingly to guerrilla tactics. He showed himself a talented military man and won many victories against the Spanish royalist forces. Through quick marches, he captured most of the Spanish possessions on the Pacific coast of what are now Michoacan and Guerrero.
In 1813 he called the Congress of Chilpancingo which declared Mexico’s independence, and in October 1814 promulgated an egalitarian constitution. The congress was safe, however, only so long as it moved from place to place under the protection of Morelos’s nomadic army. The royalist forces finally caught up with the itinerant rebel army in November of 1815. Morelos told his men to each save himself, while he remained to be captured alone.
He was jailed, tried, sentenced to death for treason, and finally executed by firing squad on December 22, 1815. After his death, his lieutenant, Vicente Guerrero, continued the war.
Guerrero, of African descent, had joined the insurgents in 1810, at the age of 28 and quickly gained the attention of Morelos, who mentored and promoted him in rank. Guerrero became one of the generals in the fight for independence, taking the position of Commander in Chief after Morelo’s death. Many years later, when Mexico had become a republic, Guerrero became president of the nation, the one and only black president of Mexico; and in 1829 abolished slavery in the country.
Vicente Guerrero continued to lead his men in battle, while Agustín de Iturbide, leader of the Spanish royal forces challenged him. Finally, Guerrero was able to outmaneuver the royalists, and then convinced Iturbide to join the fight for independence. The two united as the Ejercito Trigarante—the Army of the Three Guaranties—proclaiming their defense of religion, independence, and unity. The joint insurgent troops of Vicente Guerrero and the Spanish troops led by Iturbide, marched triumphantly into Mexico City on September 27, 1821. This in effect represented the end of the eleven-year struggle and established Mexico’s independence from Spain. A new, sovereign nation was born.
Above is a depiction of Agustin Iturbide, riding triumphantly with the rebel and royal troops behind him, as he enters Mexico City. Note that the flag is not yet the red, green, and white official flag of Mexico—that will come later.
The flag waving before him is of the Trigarante Army, with three stars around the border, and a central round patch with a crown (symbol of monarchy) which is surrounded by the words: Religion, Yndependencia (Y was used for I at that time), y Union. Beneath those it acknowledges the Infantry with: Regimento Ynfanteria.
The war of independence had finally come to an end, with the fourth phase having Vicente Guerrero and Agustin Iturbide riding into Mexico City. The nation now entered into a new era of searching for the type of government it would have. For now, let us pay tribute to the leaders who made it happen.
Vicente Guerrero, Jose Maria Morelos, Miguel Hidalgo, and Ignacio Allende
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