In 1521 Hernan Cortes and his army toppled the Aztec empire causing Mexico to fall into Spanish hands. The earliest revolt against the Spanish colonial government was led by Martn Corts, the illegitimate son of Hernn Corts. Most plots to end Spanish rule were devised by Mexican-born Spaniards, or criollos, who ranked below native Europeans within Mexicos highly stratified caste system. Mexicans and mestizos (Spaniard and Indian mix), who were often deprived of the most basic political and civil rights. On September 16, 1810, after three centuries of oppression, a Catholic priest, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla was the first man to call for a revolt in Dolores, in the state of Guanajuato. He urged the angry Mexicans, criollos and Indians to recover the lands that were stolen from them by the Spaniards. His army was defeated in January 1811. He was captured and executed by firing squad in Chihuahua.
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Continuing the revolution after Hidalgo were Jos Mara Morelos y Pavn, Mariano Matamoros and Vicente Guerrero, who all led armies of indigenous and racially mixed revolutionaries against the Spanish. This became known as the Mexican War Of Independence. The conflict dragged on until 1821, when the Treaty of Crdoba established Mexico as an independent constitutional monarchy under Agustn de Iturbide. 18 months later, the republican insurgents Antonio Lpez de Santa Anna and Guadalupe Victoria overthrew the emperor and established the first Mexican Republic. 11 years of war followed Hidalgos El Grito de Dolores before Mexico gained independence.
Key Dates
June 26, 1811 - Allende, Jimnez and Aldama were executed July 30, 1811 Father Hidalgo was executed December 22, 1815 - Jos Mara Morelos was executed
Important People/Heros
Guadalupe Victoria
Mariano Abasolo Vicente Guerrero Ignacio Aldama Juan Aldama Jose Mariano Jimenez Jose Maria Morelos
Father Hidalgo Ignacio Allende
Guadalupe Victoria
Vicente Guerrero
Bibliography
History Channel, The Struggle for Mexican Independence http://www.history.com/topics/mexican-independence (accessed September 15, 2013) Wikipedia, Mexican War of Independence http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_War_of_Independence (accessed September 15, 2013) MexicoOnline.com, The History of Mexican Independence http://www.mexonline.com/mexican-independence.htm (accessed September 15, 2013)