The War of Mexican Independence

After 289 years of Spanish rule and bolstered by Napoleon’s recent invasion and occupation of Spain, on September 16th, 1810, Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla issued his Grito de Dolores or Cry of Dolores in the Mexican town of the same name, calling for an end to Spanish rule, the redistribution of land and racial equality for all of Mexico’s indigenous peoples.

Assault on Mexico City

Enroute to a planned takeover of Mexico City, Hidalgo raised a commanding militia as he moved from village to village, leaving in his wake a bloodbath that he would later regret, until his defeat at Calderón in January of 1811. Fleeing from Spanish authorities, the gambling, non-celibate priest was captured and executed by firing squad at Chihuahua, temporarily stalling cohesiveness in the Mexican Revolution.

Leadership Expands

Others soon took charge of the rebellion, including José María Morelos y Pavón, Mariano Matamoros and Vicente Guerrero, who led the indigenous and racially-mixed people of Mexico against their Spanish overlords, including the Battle of Ciudad Juarez, the Battle of Celaya, the Battle of Columbus and the final Battle of Azcapolzalco near Mexico City.

Spanish Defeated

Spain’s defeat at Azcapolzalco by the Army of the Three Guarantees forced Spanish Royalists to grant Mexican independence on September 27th, 1821, as agreed upon in the Treaty of Córdoba, establishing Mexico as a constitutional monarchy under Agustín de Iturbide, while a short eighteen months later, republican insurgents ousted the emperor and established the first Mexican Republic.

Still Celebrated to this Day

Today, Mexican independence Day is celebrated annually beginning on the evening of September 15th, with a symbolic reenactment of Hidalgo’s historic Grito de Delores proclamation, followed the next day with parades, bullfights, rodeos, great food and traditional dancing, making the War of Mexican Independence, a day of liberation for Mexicans everywhere.