History of Mexico independence: the road from Grito to empire

The history of mexico independence begins with a cry in Dolores, Mexico, and it ends with an empire on paper after more than a decade of war. On 16 September 1810, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla issued the Cry of Dolores, and that moment set the Mexican War of Independence in motion.

What started the Mexican War of Independence?

The Mexican War of Independence began on 16 September 1810 in Dolores, Mexico, when Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla led the first uprising and issued the Cry of Dolores. Locally, the call was also known as El Grito de Independencia.

The war did not unfold as one single campaign. It was a collection of local and regional struggles that lasted from 16 September 1810 to 27 September 1821. Mexico’s independence from Spain took a decade of war, with shifting leaders, changing tactics, and different phases of rebellion.

Hidalgo was captured by royalist forces, defrocked, and executed in July 1811. Even after his death, the insurgency continued under new leadership.

How did the insurgency survive after Hidalgo?

José María Morelos led the second phase of the insurgency and was executed in December 1815. After him, the struggle changed again. By 1821, the insurgency had devolved into guerrilla warfare under Vicente Guerrero.

That same year, a major shift came when former royalist commander Agustín de Iturbide made an alliance with Vicente Guerrero under the Plan of Iguala in 1821. This alliance brought former enemies into the same military effort.

From there, events moved quickly. A unified military force entered Mexico City in triumph in September 1821, and the Spanish viceroy Juan O'Donojú signed the Treaty of Córdoba, ending Spanish colonial rule.

What did the Treaty of Córdoba say?

The Treaty of Córdoba was signed on August 24, 1821 in Córdoba, Veracruz, Mexico. It recognized New Spain as an independent empire that was to be monarchical, constitutional, and moderate.

That document came 11 years and 12 days after the Cry of Dolores. In the span between those two dates, the struggle passed through uprisings, executions, guerrilla warfare, and the final alliance that helped bring the war to a close.

The Treaty of Córdoba did not settle everything everywhere. The Spanish government in Madrid rejected it on February 13 and 14, 1822. Even so, the signing in Córdoba marked the end of Spanish colonial rule in Mexico.

When did Mexico begin celebrating independence?

The Cry of Dolores was first celebrated in 1812 in Huichapan, Hidalgo. The day of 16 September became a national holiday in the Constitution of Apatzingán and was first celebrated nationally in 1825.

That means the date tied to the start of the revolt became the date that marked the nation’s independence celebrations. The historical arc runs from the Cry of Dolores in 1810 to the first national observance of 16 September in 1825, with the war itself ending on 27 September 1821.

If you want to test how well you followed the road from Dolores to Córdoba, the quiz comes next.