-
Early Months of 1810
A group of creoles made up of Miguel Hidalgo, an old orthodox priest in charge of Dolores Guanajuato, Ignacio Allende, a captain in the Queen's Cavalry Regiment, and Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez, the corregidor of Queretaro's wife, among others create a "literary club" to talk about plans for overthrowing the current viceregal government and establishing a new one with equal opportunities for both creoles and peninsulares. They agree on starting the attack in December 8, 1810. -
Period: to
War of Mexican Independence
-
Period: to
Initiation
First part of the Mexican War for Independence. The rebels begin the movement, win many battles, but fail to attack Mexico City and ending the war. They are then captured and executed. -
The Conspiration of Queretaro is Discovered!
Marino Garza, a postal clerk, leaks some information about the conspiracy. Spaniards go to Epigmenio Gonzalez's house in Queretaro, discover that there really is a conspiracy against the government, and arrest him. Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez, with the help of Ignacio Perez, tells Ignacio Allende, Juan Aldama, and Miguel Hidalgo that the Spaniards have discovered them and will be looking for them. -
Grito de Dolores
At about 2AM, in the village of Dolores, Guanajuato, Aldama, Allende, and Hidalgo realize that they must initiate the movement at once. Hidalgo rangs the church bells, indians and mestizos start to gather around the church, and he encourages them to fight against the Spaniards. This event is called "Grito de Dolores", Miguel uses a banner of the Virgin of Guadalupe as symbol. The group later takes San Miguel de Allende where they go out of control killing all Spaniards and destroying the city. -
Attack on Guanajuato
Hidalgo arrives to Guanajuato where all the Spaniards are hidden in the Alhondiga de Granaditas led by their Intendant, Juan Antonio de Riano. The attackers, led by Juan Jose Martinez (El Pipila), set fire to the wooden door of this fortress. All the Spaniards inside are killed and there is complete chaos in the city. There's a legend that El Pipila single-handedly evaded all projectiles with a rock on his back and then burned the door, but a lot of people doubt this really happened. -
Battle at the Monte de las Cruces
After capturing Zacatecas, San Luis Potosi, and Valladolid, the rebels march toward Mexico City. In Monte de Las Cruces the rebels win against the Spaniards because of their superiority in number. Hidalgo could have ended the war if he had attacked Mexico City but he did not because of the heavy losses suffered during battle and fear of the chaos that could possibly be released in the capital. He decided to retreat even though Allende did not agree with him. -
Felix Calleja and royalist troops win in Guadalajara
Rebels moved northwest to Guadalajara which fell to the insurgents unopposed. General Felix Maria Calleja attacks with royalist troops and is aided by an accident in the battlefield. A shot hits a rebel ammunition wagon that explodes and scatters the rebel troops. Hidalgo and Allende move northward, hoping to obtain relief in Coahuila or Texas. -
Miguel Hidalgo's Execution
After being captured in Texas and ordered to walk in chains all the way to Chihuahua, the rebels were executed as traitors. Miguel Hidalgo is trialed by the Holy Office of Inquisition and found guilty of heresy and treason. At dawn on July 31, 1811, he is executed. -
Period: to
Consolidation
Second Stage of the Mexican Independence Movement. Morelos takes the mantle of leadership, has a small but better trained army, promulgates a Constitution, and is then tried for treason and executed. -
Morelos assumes Leadership, Congress of Chilpancingo
After Hidalgo's death, the mantle of insurgent leadership fell on Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon, a mestizo priest. The movement had lost popularity. Morelos trained a small but effective army that relied on guerrilla tactics. Devised a strategy for the encirclement of Mexico City. Called for a congress in Chilpancingo in the spring of 1813 that declared independence and agreed upon a series of principles that should be incorporated to a new constitution. -
Constitution of Apatzingan, Morelos is Captured and Executed
Calleja breaks the circle around Mexico City and captures Valladolid, Oaxaca, Cuernavaca, Cuautla, Taxco, and Chilpancingo. The delegates move to Apatzingan, where they promulgate the constitution. However, it did not make much of an impact. Morelos became a fugitive and was captured in the fall of 1815. He was escorted to Mexico City, tried for treason, and executed like Hidalgo a few years ago. -
Period: to
Resistance
Third Stage of the Mexican Independence. After Morelos's death, the movement became little more than guerrilla fighting for the next five years. The two rebel leaders were Guadalupe Victoria in Puebla and Veracruz and Vicente Guerrero in Oaxaca. The insurgents were undefeatable and the royalist troops began to get demoralized. In 1819, Viceroy Juan Ruiz de Apodaca asked for no more reinforcement for no apparent reason and offered an indulto to whoever laid down arms. -
Period: to
Consumation
End of the War for Mexican Independence. Agustin de Iturbide, a Lieutenant in the Spanish army, defects and joins the rebels in the fight for Independence. He and Vicente Guerrero issue the Plan de Iguala which declares Mexico's independence from Spain and that is later accepted by the Viceroy. -
Plan de Iguala
Lieutenant Iturbide asks Guerrero to meet with him to discuss about plans to make peace and not war. After a series of meetings between the two of them, they issued the Plan de Iguala. The plan said that Mexico would be a constitutional monarchy, that the Roman Catholic religion would be given a spiritual monopoly, and that creoles and peninsulares would be equal. The Ejercito de las Tres Garantias was put under Iturbide's command to uphold these three promises. -
Treaty of Cordoba and the End of the War for Independence
The Plan de Iguala gains popularity and acceptance throughout the New Spain. After the fall of Guanajuato, Puebla, Durango, Oaxaca, Queretaro, and Zacatecas, Viceroy Apodaca tendered his resignation. Spain sent Viceroy O'Donoju. He accepted the terms of the Plan de Iguala in the Treaty of Cordoba and recognized Mexican Independence. Iturbide's triumphal entry into Mexico City marked the end of eleven years of war.
