Miguel Hidalgo and the Mexican War of Independence

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla did not liberate any countries. He was a parish priest in Dolores who, on 16 September 1810, issued the Grito de Dolores—a call to arms that sparked the Mexican War of Independence against Spain.

His Role

• Mobilized Indigenous and mestizo peasants.
• Captured several cities but lacked military training.
• Defeated at Calderón Bridge (1811), captured, defrocked, and executed.

Legacy

Hidalgo is revered as the Padre de la Patria (Father of the Nation). Independence was finally achieved in 1821 under Agustín de Iturbide, building on the popular uprising Hidalgo ignited.