15 CHARACTERS OF THE INDEPENDENCE OF MEXICO - HISTORY - 2025

The characters of the Independence of Mexico were important people who participated in the liberation of the Mexican nation from the Spanish Empire. This group of individuals was made up of men and women who stood out for their military feats or for their revolutionary ideas.

The Independence of Mexico had the objective of eliminating Spanish rule from the Province of New Spain; This was made up of the territories of Mexico City, Oaxaca, Puebla, Michoacán, Tlaxcala, Querétaro and Veracruz.

Mural painting where the heroes of the Independence of Mexico are portrayed. Via wikimedia commons.

Likewise, the war to achieve this independence began on September 16, 1810 and ended on September 27, 1821. The first independence attempt was carried out in the Parish of Dolores, where the priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla gathered the settlers to incite them to rise up against the Spanish.

Later, the Mexican patriots ended the War of Independence with the entry of the Trigarante Army to the capital in 1821. After this event, Spain tried to reconquer the Mexican territories on several occasions, but finally the Spanish gave in in 1836 when King Fernando died. VII.

Mexican Independence would not have been possible without the participation of a group of patriots made up of Miguel Hidalgo, José María Morelos, Agustín Iturbide, Vicente Guerrero, Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, Ignacio Allende, among others.

Main characters of the Independence of Mexico

1- Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla (1753-1811)

Posthumous portrait of Miguel Hidalgo. Via wikimedia commons.

He was a priest and revolutionary, who is credited with the start of the Mexican War of Independence. On September 16, 1810, Hidalgo summoned the citizens of the Dolores municipality to meet in the town's Parish. For this, the priest rang one of the church bells.

Once reunited, Hidalgo called on the settlers to join the independence rebellion. From this moment on, a series of revolts began against the viceregal authorities.

According to the testimony of Juan Aldama (1811), Hidalgo pronounced the following words: "Long live America! Long live religion and die bad government!" After this event, the priest participated and led other uprisings; However, after suffering several defeats, he was captured by Spanish troops and shot on July 30, 1811.

It is important to note that, during the Grito de Dolores event, Hidalgo was accompanied by other revolutionaries such as Ignacio Allende and Juan Aldama.

2- José María Morelos y Pavón (1765-1815)

Jose Maria Morelos

Thanks to his pro-independence work, José María Morelos was also known as “the Servant of the Nation”. Like Hidalgo, this patriot was a priest and military man, who was in charge of organizing the second stage of the Mexican War of Independence.

On October 20, 1810, he was chosen by Hidalgo to command the insurgency in the Mexican south. The objective was that José María seized the ranches and some important cities; he also had to take some ports.

Morelos managed to conquer a good part of southern Mexico; he even managed to extend his insurrection to some central territories. His most famous military feat was known as the Siege of Cuautla, the success of which made him a notable enemy of royalist troops.

After a series of defeats, he was captured, tried and later shot on December 22, 1815.

3- Agustín de Iturbide (1783-1824)

Agustín de Iturbide

Agustín Cosme de Iturbide y Arámburu was a Mexican politician and military man, who participated in the first stage of the independence war. At the beginning, Iturbide was part of the royalist army, so he fought against the insurgents.

However, he disagreed with the Constitution of Cádiz (also known as the Spanish Constitution), which motivated him to agree with the rebel troops. Later, he decided to sign the Treaties of Córdoba, which allowed the patriots to obtain independence in 1821.

For this reason, although Iturbide was not a patriot, his presence was fundamental in the independence processes.

4- Vicente Guerrero (1782-1831)

Posthumous full-body portrait of Vicente Guerrero painted to adorn the Iturbide Room of the then Mexican Imperial Palace. Ramón Sagredo, via Wikimedia Commons.

Vicente Ramón Guerrero was a Mexican military and politician, known for having been one of the most important representatives during the last stage of Independence (between 1816 and 1821).

He faced General Agustín de Iturbide between 1820 and 1821, however, Iturbide did not manage to defeat him throughout that period. Later, Iturbide changed sides and decided to propose to Guerrero an alliance known as the embrace of Acatempan.

Vicente accepted this proposal, which allowed a part of the royalist army to join the insurgent troops; this union was called the Trigarante Army. Thanks to this, the patriots managed to enter Mexico City on September 27, 1821.

Later, Vicente Guerrero held very important positions within Mexican politics: first he was Minister of War and Navy, then he served as president in 1829.

5- Ignacio Allende (1769-1811)

Portrait of Ignacio Allende. Via wikimedia commons.

He was one of the most important leaders during the beginnings of the Independence of Mexico. He stood out as a captain in the militias and fought alongside Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla in the first uprisings. In fact, he participated in several of the secret meetings that were held between the insurgents before starting the uprisings.

Allende was in charge of relieving Hidalgo during the uprisings, however, he was betrayed by General Francisco Ignacio Elizondo (1766-1813) in Coahuila, who handed him over to the Spanish authorities. Allende was shot together with Miguel Hidalgo and Juan Aldama in 1811.

6- Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez (1768-1829)

Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez l

Josefa Ortiz was an insurgent who participated in the first conspiracies in Querétaro. Some historians consider that her figure was a key piece to start the uprisings carried out by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla.

Josefa was married to Miguel Domínguez, who was a mayor of Querétaro and who participated with her in the conspiracies. Ortiz was also nicknamed with the name of the Corregidora, for being the consort of the Corregidor of Querétaro.

Likewise, it is known that Ortiz was arrested when the conspiracy plans were discovered. However, some time later she was released. Despite having been imprisoned, Ortiz continued to contribute to the independence cause; She did this by sending information and money to the insurgents.

7- Miguel Domínguez (1756-1830)

Miguel Dominguez

Miguel Domínguez was a lawyer and politician, who held important positions in Mexican politics: he was Corregidor de Querétaro (1801-1811), president of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (1825-1827) and member of the Supreme Executive Power (1823 -1824).

Within the independence movements, he is remembered for having started the first conspiracies together with his wife Josefa Ortiz. The objective of these conspiracies was to build a military strategy that would free the Creoles from the Spanish authorities.

Some historians affirm that, despite his good will, Domínguez made several failures in the application of war strategies.

8- Gertrudis Bocanegra (1765-1817)

María Gertrudis Bocanegra was a Mexican woman who participated in the insurgent movements during the Independence War. Despite the fact that most of the women of that time had no access to education, Bocanegra managed to read the authors of the Enlightenment; These ideas motivated her to participate in the War of Independence.

It is known that he set up a communications network between the insurgents' headquarters, thus acting as a kind of courier. Likewise, it is also stated that his son José Manuel Nicolás participated in the uprisings led by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla.

In the second stage of the independence process, Bocanegra was discovered by royalist troops, who took her prisoner. During her imprisonment she refused to give information about the rebels; for this reason she was shot in 1817.

9- Juan Aldama (1764-1811)

Juan Aldama

Juan Aldama González was one of the insurgents who participated in the independence uprisings in Mexico. In turn, he was a captain within the Queen's Militias, however, this did not prevent him from attending the insurgent meetings in Querétaro.

When the royalists discovered the conspiracy, Aldama decided to leave his post to warn the patriots. In the municipality of Dolores he joined Ignacio Allende and Miguel Hidalgo to participate with them in the first insurrection.

After this event, he was appointed marshal during the Battle of Monte de las Cruces (1810), where he fought alongside Allende. Later, he was captured, tried, and shot along with his fellow insurgents in 1811.

10- José Mariano Jiménez (1781-1811)

Monument of Mariano Jiménez in Hidalgo. Lyricmac / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

José Mariano Ignacio Jiménez was an insurgent general who stood out for his exploits during the War of Independence. On September 2, 1810, he went to Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla to offer him his military services. Jiménez was known for his loyalty and rigorous discipline, which allowed him to be quickly promoted to the position of lieutenant colonel.

He participated in the battle of Monte de las Cruces together with Ignacio Aldama. Some historians assure that the insurgents managed to win in this confrontation thanks to the strategies of José Mariano. This military man died on June 26, 1811, when he was shot along with his fellow rebels.

11- Manuel de Santa María (1767-1811)

Manuel de Santa María was a Mexican politician and military man, who before participating in the insurgent movements had been part of the royalist troops. In addition, he served as governor in 1810.

Later, he joined the army of Mariano Jiménez and was appointed field marshal by Ignacio Allende, a position he held until his capture and execution in 1811.

12- Rita Pérez Jiménez (1779-1861)

Statue in honor of Rita Pérez de Moreno. Via wikimedia commons.

María Rita Pérez Jiménez was a militant who participated in the Mexican independence movements. She was married to Pedro Moreno González, who was an activist and leader in the War of Independence.

Rita was of great help during the Battle of Fort del Sombrero (1817), where she was in charge of feeding and healing the injured rebels. Her performance allowed her to act as administrator of the independence cause, which is why many consider her as a key piece of independence.

She was captured along with her children by royalist troops, who held her captive until 1819. During her stay in prison, two of her children died and she learned of the death of her husband. Finally, upon being released, she retired to Lagos de Moreno, where she spent the rest of her days.

13- Pedro Moreno González (1775-1817)

Pedro Moreno. Source: Telenovelastelevisionmx, via Wikimedia Commons.

Pedro Moreno González de Hermosillo was an insurgent leader, who before the War of Independence had been a progressive landowner. Together with his wife Rita Pérez, he carried out several exploits in favor of the insurgents.

Moreno commanded several of the battles against the royalist army and distinguished himself by the speed of his attacks. Together with the military man Francisco Mina, he built an operations center in the facilities of the Hat fort. From this place, he led several raids with the aim of spying on and attacking the royalist troops.

Later, the fort was attacked and Moreno managed to escape. However, on October 27, 1817, he was captured and shot.

14- Francisco Xavier Mina (1789-1817)

Portrait of Francisco Xavier Mina. Via wikimedia commons.

He was a guerrilla and military man of Spanish nationality, who first participated in the Spanish War of Independence (1808-1814) and later joined the insurgents in the Mexican War of Independence.

During his stay in London, he met Servando Teresa de Mier, a Mexican priest who made him aware of the independence events of his nation. Mina decided to participate in the Mexican insurgency because he was against King Fernando VII. Consequently, she joined Pedro Moreno at the Sombrero fort.

Xavier Mina stood out for his military exploits in the course of the War. In fact, it is considered that his campaign was of the utmost importance for the independence processes. However, he was captured on October 27, 1817 along with his partner Pedro Moreno.

15- Guadalupe Victoria (1786-1843)

Guadalupe Victoria was the first president of Mexico once its independence was achieved. Source: National Museum of Interventions, via Wikimedia Commons.

José Miguel Fernández y Félix, nicknamed Guadalupe Victoria, was a Mexican politician and military man who excelled in the battles of Mexican Independence. Likewise, he was the first president of Mexico. During his tenure, he established relations with Greater Colombia, the United Kingdom and the United States. In addition, he implemented practices to abolish slavery and promote education.

In the War of Independence, Guadalupe fought alongside José María Morelos, participating in the Siege of Cuautla and in the assault on Oaxaca. Finally, she met with Agustín de Iturbide on June 17, 1821 with the aim of building a republican government. She died in 1843 as a result of epilepsy during her stay in the Perote fortress.

References

1. Aguirre, M. (2015) Characters of Independence: condensed biographies. Retrieved on February 4, 2020 from México Mágico: mexicomaxico.org
2. Morales, D. (2018) Main characters of the Independence of Mexico. Retrieved on February 3, 2020 from Collective Culture: culturacolectiva.com
3. Orozco, F. (2015) Great heroes of the Independence of Mexico. Retrieved on February 3, 2020 from Hora Cero: horacero.com.mx
4. SA (2014) 10 need-to-know about Mexican Independence. Retrieved on February 4, 2020 from Globein.com
5. SA (2017) Mexican Independence facts: inside México. Retrieved on February 4, 2020 from Inside México: inside-mexico.com
6. SA (sf) Francisco Xavier Mina. Retrieved on February 4, 2020 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org
7. SA (sf) Miguel Hidalgo, Mexican Independence. Retrieved on February 4, 2020 from Exploring México: explorandomexico.com
8. SA (sf) Pedro Moreno. Retrieved on February 4, 2020 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org