BATTLE OF MONTE DE LAS CRUCES: BACKGROUND, DEVELOPMENT - HISTORY - 2025

The Battle of Monte de las Cruces took place on the mountain that gives it its name, located in the municipality of Ocoyoacac, in Mexico. This town is located near Toluca de Lerdo. The mountain in question divides the Valley of Mexico.

The military confrontation had as participants the troops of the insurgent Army that fought for the independence of the country and the soldiers of the Spanish Crown. At the head of the former were Miguel Hidalgo and Ignacio Allende, while the latter were commanded by Colonel Torcuato Trujillo.

A little over a month after the Grito de Dolores that started the War of Independence, on October 30, 1810, both sides met on the Monte de las Cruces. The battle ended in victory for the insurgents, who caused the royalist survivors to flee.

That's when Hidalgo made one of the strangest decisions of the war. Having the possibility of taking Mexico City, he ordered the withdrawal after having tried to get the Spanish Viceroy to surrender the capital peacefully.

Background

Although it occurred in the distance, the invasion of Spain by Napoleon Bonaparte caused the situation in the, then, colonies in America to change in a few years. In several of the Latin American countries movements began to emerge that sought the independence of the metropolis.

In Mexico, a large part of the population watched with fear the fall of the Spanish crown to Napoleon. The ideas of the French Revolution did not appeal to many Creoles, nor, of course, to the Catholic Church.

The first independence movements actually wanted the country to have its own institutions, but they offered the crown to the deposed Spanish king, Fernando VII. Thus, in 1809 the Conspiracy of Valladolid broke out and, the following year, that of Querétaro.

The latter was led by Miguel Hidalgo, a priest whom Ignacio Allende had brought into the conspiracy. The violent response of the Spanish authorities caused the movement to abandon its initial aims. On September 16, Hidalgo launched the so-called Grito de Dolores, initiating the War of Independence.

In a very short time, Hidalgo assembled some 6,000 men. With little resistance, he conquered several towns, including Celaya. His troops were increasing in number, thanks to the volunteers.

Spanish response

The insurgents continued their advance without much trouble. On September 24, under the command of Allende, they took Salamanca. This was the first city in which they encountered some resistance, but they had not yet faced a true army.

In Salamanca itself, Hidalgo was named Captain General of the Armies of America, while Allende was proclaimed Lieutenant General. By that time, the troop had reached fifty thousand men.

It was then that the Spanish began to react. Francisco Javier de Linaza, who had pardoned the Valladolid conspirators, was relieved.

His substitute had experience in the war, having participated in the battle of Bailén, in Spain. It was Francisco Xavier Venegas, considered very strict and tough in command.

Venegas immediately began to organize the response to the insurgents. In a warlike aspect, he ordered the mayor of Puebla to put an end to the revolts.

But his performance did not stop there: the bishop of Michoacán, a former friend of Hidalgo, excommunicated the insurgents by means of a bull. Hidalgo, a priest, paid no attention and continued his fight.

Alhondiga de Granaditas

Hidalgo and Aguirre's men then headed toward Guanajuato. This was a city that stood out for having a wealthy population, both Creoles and Spanish. In principle, they were not very supportive of the independence cause.

Fear among the locals grew as the insurgents approached. The decision made by its authorities was to evacuate the citizens and take refuge in the nearby Alhóndiga de Granaditas. This small nucleus basically consisted of a large barn.

At first, Miguel Hidalgo tried to convince the authorities to surrender. The defenders had only about 2,500 men, while the insurgents numbered almost 5,000. However, the city mayor did not agree to surrender.

The result of the siege was a massacre. The barn in which those who fled Guanajuato had hidden was difficult to attack.

Hidalgo's men set the facility on fire, killing an enormous number of people. This bloody event took place on September 28, 1810.

Although it was not a battle in itself, the chroniclers affirm that the expediency of the action increased the fear of the independence army.

Insurgents advance

That same day, the insurgents entered Guanajuato, already without any defense. From that moment on, the advance accelerated.

With hardly any combat to do, the Mexican Army took Valladolid on October 17. From there, he and Aguirre planned to conquer Toluca de Lerdo. The ultimate goal was to use that position to attack the ultimate goal: Mexico City.

Development

The place where the battle took place was the Monte de las Cruces. This divides the valley of Mexico, being, therefore, a strategic area to continue advancing towards the capital.

The insurgent side, commanded by Hidalgo and Aguirre, had about 80,000 men. For his part, Torcuato Trujillo, in command of the royalists, had only about 2,500 at his disposal.

Trujillo Movement

Trujillo's goal was to prevent the insurgents from getting any closer to Mexico City. For that, he left for Lerma and organized a defense with trenches and trenches to stop his enemies.

Likewise, he ordered to destroy the Atengo bridge, for the same purpose. However, at that time he was unaware that part of the independence soldiers had already crossed it.

Hidalgo, for his part, continued his advance. Trujillo, faced with this, requested reinforcements and headed towards the Monte de las Cruces.

The first clash between the two took place near Lerma. A rebel detachment, led by Allende, faced the royalists. In the end, they had to retreat, defeated by their adversaries.

On the Mount of Crosses

The battle began on the morning of October 30, 1810. The rebels sent a column of men to test the royalist defenses. They managed to reject them, remaining firm in their position.

Venegas, Viceroy at that time, had news of what was happening. He immediately proceeded to send two pieces of artillery to Trujillo, thinking that it would give him military superiority to defeat his enemies. Along with the weapons, some sailors, 50 horsemen and 330 well-armed mulattoes also arrived.

The insurgents, despite the reinforcements that had reached their adversaries, prepared for battle. They divided their forces, placing Hidalgo and Allende in command of each of the detachments.

The result

The confrontation lasted several hours, with strong resistance from the royalists. The use of the cannons seemed, at one point, to balance the battle despite the superiority in men of the rebels.

However, they managed to neutralize one of the artillery pieces and reinforced the attack. At that time, they sent emissaries to request the surrender of Trujillo, without obtaining a positive response.

With more drive, a group of charros from the insurgent army managed to seize the other cannon, greatly weakening the defenses of the viceroyalty. Agustín de Iturbide, future Emperor of Mexico, tried to recover the weapon for the royalists, but without success.

Shortly after, Trujillo ordered the withdrawal. Pursued by the independentistas, he managed to reach Cuajimalpa and, later, to Santa Fe.

Consequences

Hidalgo's decision

Once the royalists had been defeated, it seemed that the road to Mexico City was totally clear. It is then that Hidalgo made a strange decision, without historians agreeing to find a cause that justifies it.

On November 1, the rebel leader sent negotiators to try to convince Viceroy Venegas to surrender the city peacefully. This one did not accept. Only the mediation of the archbishop of the capital prevented him from shooting those sent by Hidalgo.

It is then that, instead of trying to conquer the city by force, Miguel Hidalgo ordered his troops to abandon the position.

Battle of Aculco

The rebels then went to the El Bajío area, located north of the Lerma River. This retreat gave time for the royalists to reorganize their forces, in addition to causing serious disputes on the insurgent side.

A Spanish army, commanded by Félix María Calleja, was near the area where the rebels were heading. On November 7, both forces met and, for the first time since the beginning of the conflict, the royalists managed to defeat the independence supporters at the Battle of Aculco.

Some historians affirm that this defeat was produced, apart from the insurgents' fatigue, because of the demoralization produced after not having tried to take the capital.

The main consequence of that lost battle was the separation of the independence leaders and the division of their army. Allende left for Guanajuato, while Hidalgo headed for Valladolid.

The differences were so serious that, somewhat later, Ignacio Allende even tried to poison the priest of Dolores.

References

1. Historical Archive Mexico 2010. Battle of Monte de las Cruces. Obtained from filehistorico2010.sedena.gob.mx
2. Mexico history. Battle of the mount of crosses. Obtained from independencedemexico.com.mx
3. Historia.com. October 30, 1810 The Battle of Monte de las Cruces. Obtained from es.historia.com
4. Kramer, Howard. Battle of Monte de las Cruces. Retrieved from thecompletepilgrim.com
5. Anishinabe-History.Com. The October 30, 1810 Battle of Monte de las Cruces. Retrieved from anishinabe-history.com
6. Minster, Christopher. Mexican Independence: Biography of Ignacio Allende. Retrieved from thoughtco.com
7. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. Retrieved from britannica.com