Grito de Dolores

Grito de Dolores
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Name	Grito de Dolores
Caption	Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, the priest who delivered the cry.
Date	September 16, 1810
Location	Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, New Spain
Participants	Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, Ignacio Allende, Juan Aldama, Mariano Abasolo
Outcome	Start of the Mexican War of Independence

Grito de Dolores. The event, a defining call to arms delivered by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla in the early hours of September 16, 1810, marked the explosive beginning of the Mexican War of Independence. This seminal act, occurring in the small town of Dolores Hidalgo in the Intendancy of Guanajuato, galvanized a disparate coalition of Indigenous and Mestizo forces against the colonial rule of New Spain. The cry effectively shattered the authority of the Spanish Empire in the region and set in motion an eleven-year struggle that would ultimately lead to the creation of the First Mexican Empire.

Background and context

The late 18th and early 19th centuries in New Spain were a period of profound social tension and intellectual ferment. The Bourbon Reforms imposed by the Spanish Crown had centralized authority and increased economic pressures on the Criollo elite and the lower classes alike. Simultaneously, Enlightenment ideas filtering in from events like the American Revolution and the French Revolution inspired clandestine discussions among disaffected Criollos. The 1808 Peninsular War and the subsequent abdication of King Ferdinand VII created a severe crisis of legitimacy, with competing juntas in Spain and the Americas vying for power. In the Bajío region, conspiracies such as the Conspiracy of Querétaro, involving figures like Ignacio Allende and Mariano Abasolo, began to organize. The plot was discovered by authorities, prompting the conspirators to advance their plans and seek the leadership of the respected parish priest in Dolores Hidalgo, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla.

The event of September 16, 1810

In the predawn hours of September 16, after learning that the Conspiracy of Querétaro had been exposed, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, alongside military captains Ignacio Allende and Juan Aldama, decided to act immediately. Hidalgo summoned his parishioners by ringing the church bell, a gathering that included local Indigenous communities and Mestizo laborers. From the steps of his church, he delivered a passionate sermon, denouncing the oppressive rule of the Peninsular Spaniards, a group often referred to pejoratively as *Gachupines*. While the exact words are not recorded, tradition holds he cried out against bad government and invoked the names of the Virgin of Guadalupe and the deposed Ferdinand VII. The crowd, armed with tools and makeshift weapons, quickly transformed into a revolutionary army, with Hidalgo taking a banner of the Virgin of Guadalupe as their standard before marching on the strategic city of Guanajuato.

Aftermath and immediate consequences

The immediate aftermath of the event was a rapid and chaotic mobilization of popular forces. The unruly army, swelled by thousands of recruits from Dolores Hidalgo and surrounding mining and agricultural communities, achieved a major early victory at the Battle of Monte de las Cruces and captured the wealthy city of Guanajuato following the brutal Siege of the Alhóndiga de Granaditas. However, the campaign's initial momentum was checked after Hidalgo decided not to press the attack on Mexico City. The revolutionary forces suffered a decisive defeat at the Battle of Calderón Bridge in January 1811. This led to the capture of the main leaders, including Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, Ignacio Allende, and Juan Aldama, who were later executed by royalist forces. Their deaths, however, did not extinguish the rebellion, as leadership passed to other figures like José María Morelos, who organized a more disciplined campaign at the Congress of Chilpancingo.

Legacy and commemoration

The legacy of the event is foundational to the Mexican national identity. It is commemorated annually on the night of September 15, when the sitting President of Mexico reenacts the cry from the balcony of the National Palace in Mexico City, a ceremony broadcast nationwide. The town where it originated was renamed Dolores Hidalgo in honor of the priest, and it is known as the "Cradle of National Independence." The date, September 16, is celebrated as Mexico's Independence Day, a national holiday. The original bell from the parish church was moved to the National Palace in 1896, and the event is memorialized in major works like the Monument to Independence on Paseo de la Reforma and the vast murals by Diego Rivera in the National Palace.

In popular culture

The event and its central figure, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, have been depicted extensively across various media, cementing their place in Mexican cultural consciousness. It is a frequent subject in Mexican cinema, featured in historical epics like *El Grito de Dolores* (1968) and *Hidalgo: La Historia Jamás Contada* (2010). The story is a staple in Mexican literature, referenced in works by authors such as Carlos Fuentes and in countless corridos (folk ballads) that narrate the heroes of independence. The cry is dramatically reenacted in school ceremonies and community events every September. Furthermore, the image of Hidalgo delivering the cry is immortalized on the Mexican 1000-peso banknote and has been used as a powerful symbol in political movements throughout Mexican history.

Category:Mexican War of Independence Category:1810 in New Spain Category:September observances