Mexican War of Independence
Photo: Paint: José Clemente Orozco, picture: Salvador alc, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Discontent over Spanish rule was spreading throughout New Spain at the beginning of the 19th century. While many remained loyal royalists, the seeds of revolution were spreading through the wealthy nobility, as well as through slaves and the economically disenfranchised. When Napoleon invaded Spain causing King Carlos to abdicate, the time seemed ripe for Mexico to throw off the yoke of colonialism, like the United States had done a few decades earlier. Independence would take a full decade to achieve, through blood spilled on the battlefield, and blood spilled in political assassination. It all began with a cry for freedom in the town of Dolores, Guanajuato....
Cry of DoloresThe first act of rebellion against the Spanish crown came when Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla issued his famous "Grito de Hidalgo" in front of parishioners on September 16, 1810 at his church in the town of Dolores,…
Morelos wages WarFrom 1811 to 1815 the revolutionary army was under the leadership of Jose Maria Morelos, another parish priest forced by circumstances to become a soldier.
Guerrilla warfare under GuerreroBy 1815, the royalists assumed they had put down the insurrection. All of Mexico's key cities were under royalist control.
Plan de IgualaBoth Iturbide and Guerrero were in tough positions by the time they met near Oaxaca.
See also
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Mexican War of Independence" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Paint: José Clemente Orozco, picture: Salvador alc, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons