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For the district of Mexico City, see Miguel Hidalgo, D.F.
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla
Generalísimo of the Mexican Army
Buried atEl Ángel de la Independencia
Mexico City
AllegianceMexico
Service/branchRevolutionary Army
Years of service1809-1811
RankGeneral
Commands heldMexican Revolutionary Army
Battles/warsMexican War of Independence

Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla y Gallaga Mandarte Villaseñor[1] ( 8 May 1753 – 30 July 1811) was a Mexican priest and a leader of the Mexican War of Independence. He is also known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or simply Miguel Hidalgo. Because his Grito de Dolores started the War of Independence, Hidalgo is considered the Father of the Nation of Mexico.[2]

Youth

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Hidalgo was born on May 8, 1753. He was the first child of Don Cristobal Hidalgo y Costilla and Dona Ana Maria Gallaga at the estate of San Diego Corralejo. Hidalgo was born a criollo (a child born in a Spanish colony to Spanish-born parents or of parents of direct Spanish descent). Both of Hidalgo's parents came from well-respected families within the community. He had three brothers, Jose Joaquin, Manuel Mariano, and Jose Maria.

In 1759 when Hidalgo was 6, Charles III of Spain became king. With new opportunities available his father decided that Hidalgo and Joaquin should both enter the priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church. After receiving private instruction, likely from the priest of the neighboring parish, Hidalgo was ready for more formal education.[3]

Education and Ordination

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At the age of twelve Hidalgo was sent to Valladolid (now Morelia), Michoacan to study at the Colegio de San Francisco Javier with the Jesuits, along with his brothers.[4] In 1767, he entered the Colegio de San Nicolas.[5][6][7] There he studied for the priesthood.[5] In 1770, he went to the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico in Mexico City for further study. He got his degree in philosophy and theology in 1773.[4]

His education for the priesthood was traditional, with subjects in Latin, rhetoric (speaking) and logic. He also studied Italian and French, which were not studied much in Mexico at this time.[6] He was considered smart. Those at his school gave him the nickname El Zorro (the fox).[2][8] Because he could understand French, he could read and study the thought and works of the Enlightenment that were current in Europe[5] even though these ideas were forbidden at the time in Mexico.[2]

Hidalgo was ordained as a priest in 1778 when he was 25 years old.[6][8] From 1779 to 1792, he dedicated himself to teaching at San Nicolas as a professor of Latin grammar and arts. After that he worked as a theology professor. He worked his way up to becoming dean of the school in 1790 when he was 39 years old.[5][9]

However, he did not promote or live the lifestyle expected of 18th-century Mexican priests. Instead, his studies of Enlightenment-era ideas made him challenge traditional political and religious views. He questioned the absolute authority of the Spanish king. He challenged the Church, including the absolute power of the Pope, the virgin birth, and clerical celibacy. He enjoyed things like dancing and gambling, which were not at all what priests were supposed to do. He openly lived with a woman named Maria Manuela Herrera,[7] and had two daughters out of wedlock (outside of a marriage) with her. Later he had three other children with a woman named Josefa Quintana.[10][dead link]

He had to show up before the Court of the Inquisition for this behaviour. The court did not find him guilty.[7]

As parish priest in Dolores

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A statue of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla in front of his church at Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato.
 
Dolores Hidalgo Church at night.

In 1803, at the age of fifty he arrived in Dolores accompanied by his family that included a younger brother, a cousin, two half sisters, as well as Maria and their two children.[8]

Most of the clerical duties were done by one of his vicars, Father Francisco Iglesias. Hidalgo devoted himself completely to trade, study and helping people.[8] He helped the poor people of the area set up factories to make bricks and pottery and trained them in the making of leather.[2][11] He also promoted beekeeping.[11] He wanted to make the Indians and mestizos less dependent on the Spanish. However, this was against Spanish rules, and Hidalgo was ordered to stop them.[7]

Grito de Dolores

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See the main article: Grito de Dolores

On the morning of the 16th, Hidalgo called Mass. There he gave what is now known as the Grito de Dolores,[11] calling the people of his parish to leave their homes and join with him to fight against the Spanish government.[2]

Hidalgo’s army – from Celaya to Monte de las Cruces

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Hidalgo's army route

Hidalgo found he had a lot of support. Intellectuals, liberal priests and many poor people followed Hidalgo with a great deal of enthusiasm.[7] Hidalgo and Ignacio Allende left Dolores with about 800 men, half were on horseback.[4] They marched through the Bajío area, to Guanajuato. From Guanajuato, Hidalgo brought his troops to Valladolid, Michoacan. They stayed here for a while and then decided to march towards Mexico City.[12] From Valladolid, they marched through the State of Mexico, through the cities of Maravatio, Ixtlahuaca, Toluca coming as close to Mexico City as Monte de las Cruces, between the Valley of Toluca and the Valley of Mexico.[11] Just because there were so many of them, Hidalgo’s army had some early victories.[2] The size and the intensity of the movement took the Spanish authorities by surprise.[13]

On 21 September 1810, Hidalgo was proclaimed general and supreme commander. At this point, Hidalgo’s army numbered about 5,000.[2][11] However, there was no military discipline, and the rebels soon fell into robbing, looting and ransacking the towns they were capturing. They began to execute prisoners as well.[2]

Allende, who had military training, strongly protested these events. While Hidalgo agreed that this was not good, he also said that he understood the reasons for it. Because they were afraid of the rebels, the criollos and peninsulares started to work together against them. This caused Hidalgo to lose support from liberal criollos.[7]

From Guanajuato, Hidalgo set off for Valladolid on 10 October 1810 with 15,000 men.[11][6] When he arrived at Acámbaro, he was promoted to generalissimo and given the title of His Most Serene Highness, with power to legislate.

On 19 October Hidalgo left Valladolid for Mexico City after taking 400,000 pesos from the cathedral to pay expenses.[11]

Hidalgo and his troops left the state of Michoacan and marched through the towns of Maravatio, Ixtlahuaca, and Toluca. Then they stopped in the forested mountain area of Monte de las Cruces.[11][14] Here, insurgent forces fought royalist (of the king) forces. Hidalgo’s troops made royalist troops retreat, but the rebels suffered heavy losses. [6][7][15]

Retreat from Mexico City

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After the Battle of Monte de las Cruces on 30 October 1810, Hidalgo still had about 100,000 people in his army. He was in a good position to attack Mexico City.[2]

The royalist government in Mexico City, under the leadership of Viceroy Francisco Venegas prepared military defenses.

Hidalgo’s forces came as close as what is now the Cuajimalpa borough of Mexico City.[4] Allende wanted to press forward and attack the capital, but Hidalgo did not.[11][14] The reason for this decision is unclear and has been debated by historians.[16][17] One probable reason was that Hidalgo’s men were undisciplined and unruly. They had also suffered heavy losses every time they fought trained troops. The capital was guarded by some of the best-trained soldiers in New Spain, and Hidalgo might have feared a bloodbath.[7]

Hidalgo instead decided to turn away from Mexico City and move to the north[17] through Toluca and Ixtlahuaca[12] with a destination of Guadalajara.[7]

After turning back, the rebels began to leave the army. By the time he got to Aculco, his army had shrunk to 40,000. There, General Felix Calleja attacked and won from them on 7 November 1810. Allende decided to take the troops under his command to Guanajuato instead of Guadalajara.[14]

Hidalgo arrived in Guadalajara on 26 November with over 7,000 badly-armed men.[11] He initially occupied the city with lower-class support because Hidalgo promised to end slavery, tribute payment and taxes on alcohol and tobacco products.[7] Hidalgo established an alternative government in Guadalajara with himself at the head and then appointed two ministers.[11] On 6 December 1810, Hidalgo issued a decree abolishing slavery, threatening those who did not comply with death. He also abolished tribute payments that the Indians had to pay to their creole and peninsular lords. He also ordered the publication of a newspaper called Despertador Americano (American Wake Up Call).[14] He named Pascacio Ortiz de Letona as representative of the insurgent government and sent him to the United States to seek support there. However, this ambassador was apprehended by the Spanish army while in route to Philadelphia and executed.[2]

During this time, insurgent violence mounted in Guadalajara. Citizens loyal to the viceregal government were seized and executed. While indiscriminate looting was avoided, the insurgents targeted the property of creoles and Spaniards, regardless of political affiliation.[11][7] In the meantime, the royalist army had retaken Guanajuato, forcing Allende to flee to Guadalajara.[14] After he arrived to the city, Allende again objected to Hidalgo concerning the insurgent violence. However, Hidalgo knew the royalist army was on its way to Guadalajara and wanted to stay on good terms with his own army.[11]

After Guanajuato had been retaken by royalist forces, the bishop there excommunicated Hidalgo and those under him, declaring them to be heretics, perjurers and blasphemers on 24 December 1810.[11] The Inquisition pronounced an edict against him containing a large number of charges including denying that God punishes sins in this world, doubting the authenticity of the Bible, denouncing the popes and Church government, that Jews should not have to convert to Christianity, denying the perpetual virginity of Mary, preaching that there was no hell and adopting Lutheran doctrine with regards to the Eucharist. Fearful of losing support of his army because of these decrees, Hidalgo responded that he had never departed from Church doctrine in the slightest degree.[11]

Royalist forces marched to Guadalajara, arriving in January 1811 with nearly 6,000 men.[7] Allende and Abasolo wanted to concentrate their forces in the city and plan an escape route should they be defeated, but Hidalgo rejected this. Their second choice then was to make a stand at the Calderon Bridge (Puente de Calderon) just outside the city. Hidalgo had between 80,000 and 100,000 men and 95 cannons, but the better trained royalists decisively defeated the insurgent army, forcing Hidalgo to flee towards Aguascalientes.[11][7] At Hacienda de Pabellon, on 25 January 1811, near Aguascalientes, Allende and other insurgent leaders took military command away from Hidalgo, blaming him for their defeats.[11][14] Hidalgo remained as head politically but with military command going to Allende.[14]

What was left of the insurgent Army of the Americas[18] moved north towards Zacatecas and Saltillo with the goal of making connections with those the United States for support.[6][10] Hidalgo made it to Saltillo, where he publicly resigned his military post and rejected a pardon offered by General José de la Cruz in the name of Venegas in return for Hidalgo’s surrender.[4] A short time later, they were betrayed and captured by royalist Ignacio Elizondo at the Wells of Baján[18] (Norias de Baján) on 21 March 1811 and taken to the city of Chihuahua.[2][11][14]

Execution

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Hidalgo was turned over to the bishop of Durango, Francisco Gabriel de Olivares, for an official defrocking and excommunication on 27 July 1811. He was then found guilty of treason by a military court and executed by firing squad on 30 July at 7 in the morning.[11] Before his execution, he thanked his jailers, Private Soldiers Ortega and Melchor, in letters for their humane treatment. At his execution, Hidalgo placed his right hand over his heart to show the riflemen where they should aim. He also refused the use of a blindfold.[10][19] His body, along with the bodies of Allende, Aldama and José Mariano Jiménez were decapitated, and the heads were put on display on the four corners of the Alhondiga de Granaditas in Guanajuato.[2] The heads remained there for ten years until the end of the Mexican War of Independence to serve as a warning to other insurgents.[7] Hidalgo’s headless body was first displayed outside the prison but then buried in the Church of St Francis in Chihuahua. Those remains would later be transferred in 1824 to Mexico City.[10]

Hidalgo’s death resulted in a political vacuum on the insurgent side until 1812. The royalist military commander, General Felix Calleja, continued to pursue rebel troops.[7] Insurgent fighting evolved into guerrilla warfare,[16] and eventually the next major insurgent leader, Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon, who had led rebel movements with Hidalgo, became head of the insurgents.[7]

Hidalgo’s legacy

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Hidalgo is hailed as the Father of the Nation[2] even though it was Agustin de Iturbide and not Hidalgo who achieved Mexican Independence in 1821.[17] Shortly after gaining independence, the day to celebrate it varied between 15 September, the day of Hidalgo’s Grito and 27 September, the day Iturbide rode into Mexico City to end the war.[15] Later, political movements would favor the more liberal Hidalgo over the conservative Iturbide, so that eventually 15 September 1810 became the officially recognized day of Mexican independence.[17] The reason for this is that Hidalgo is considered to be “precursor and creator of the rest of the heroes of the (Mexican War of) Independence.”[11] Hidalgo has become an icon for Mexicans who resist tyranny in the country.[7] Diego Rivera painted Hidalgo’s image in half a dozen murals. Jose Clemente Orozco depicted him with a flaming torch of liberty and considered the painting among his best work. David Alfaro Siqueiros was commissioned by San Nicolas University in Morelia to paint a mural for a celebration commemorating the 200th anniversary of Hidalgo's birth.[20] The town of his parish was renamed Dolores Hidalgo in his honor and the state of Hidalgo was created in 1869.[15] Every year on the night of 15–16 September, the president of Mexico re-enacts the Grito from the balcony of the National Palace. This scene is repeated by the heads of cities and towns all over Mexico.[16]

The remains of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla lie in the column of the Angel of Independence in Mexico City. Next to it is a lamp lit to represent the sacrifice of those who gave their lives for Mexican Independence.[10][19]

References

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  1. ↑ "Videoteca Educativa de las Américas. Enciclovela - Miguel Hidalgo" (in Spanish).
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 Vazquez-Gomez, Juana (1997). Dictionary of Mexican Rulers, 1325-1997. Westport, CT, USA: Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated. ISBN 9780313300493.
  3. ↑ Cite error: The named reference Noll was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "Biografía de Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla" (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 November 2008.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "I Parte: Miguel Hidalgo yn Costilla (1753-1811)" (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 November 2008.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 "Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla". Mexico Desconocido (in Spanish). Mexico City: Grupo Editorial Impresiones Aéreas. Retrieved 27-November-2008. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  7. ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 7.14 7.15 7.16 Kirkwood, Burton (2000). History of Mexico. Westport, CT, USA: Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated. ISBN 9780313303517.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Tuck, Jim. "MIGUEL HIDALGO: THE FATHER WHO FATHERED A COUNTRY(1753 - 1811)". Retrieved 27 November 2008.
  9. ↑ "Miguel Hidalgo" (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 November 2008.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 "Quien fue Hidalgo? - Biografia" (in Spanish). Mexico: INAH. Retrieved 27 November. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  11. ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 11.11 11.12 11.13 11.14 11.15 11.16 11.17 11.18 11.19 Cite error: The named reference Sosa was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "DonMiguel Hidalgo y Costilla(1753-1811)" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on August 22, 2008. Retrieved 27 November 2008.
  13. ↑ Cite error: The named reference Hamnett was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 14.7 "II Parte: Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla (1753-1811)" (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 November 2008.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Benjamin, Thomas (2000). Revolución : Mexico's Great Revolution as Memory, Myth, and History. Austin, TX, USA: University of Texas Press. ISBN 9780292708808.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Cite error: The named reference vanyoung was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 Vanden, Harry E. (2001). Politics of Latin America : The Power Game. Cary, NC, USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195123173.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Garrett & Chabot. "Summary of the Events in Texas for the Year 1811: The Las Casas & Sambrano Revolutions." Texas Letters in Yanaguana Society Publication, Vol. VI. 1941. Op. cit. McKeehan, Wallace. Nueva España. Las Casas Insurrection. Retrieved 23 Mar 2010.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Vidali, Carlos (4-December 2008). "Fusilamiento Miguel Hidalgo" (in Spanish). San Antonio: La Prensa de San Antonio. p. 1. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ↑ "Siqueiros & the Hero Priest". Time. Time/CNN. 18-May-1953. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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