How Long Has Mexico Been Independent?

As of 2024, Mexico has been independent for 213 years.

Timeline

• Sep 16, 1810: Grito de Dolores — Father Miguel Hidalgo launches independence war.
• Sep 27, 1821: Army of the Three Guarantees enters Mexico City; Spanish rule ends.
• 1821–2024: 203 years since formal independence; 214 years since the start of the struggle.

Key Context

• 11-year war (1810–1821) cost ~250,000–500,000 lives.
• First Mexican Empire (Iturbide) → Republic (1824) → decades of instability, foreign interventions (Spain, France, USA), Revolution (1910), one-party rule (PRI, 1929–2000), modern democracy.
• Independence Day = September 16 (start), not Sept 27 (consummation).

Mexico is the oldest independent nation in Latin America (after Haiti, 1804).