* Born in Valladolid, Michoacán, on September 30, 1765.
* A Catholic priest and a prominent leader of the Mexican War of Independence.
* Studied at the University of Valladolid.
* Ordained as a priest in 1797.
* Served as a parish priest in several towns in Michoacán.
* Joined the independence movement in 1810.
* Became the leader of the southern rebel army in 1811.
* Captured the cities of Oaxaca, Acapulco, and Chilpancingo.
* Convened the Congress of Chilpancingo in 1813, which declared Mexican independence from Spain.
* Wrote the Constitution of Apatzingán, which was the first constitution of independent Mexico.
* Defeated by royalist forces in 1815 and executed by firing squad on December 22, 1815.
* Considered one of the most important figures in Mexican history.