CONSPIRACIES AGAINST THE VICEROYALTY OF NEW SPAIN - HISTORY - 2025

The conspiracies against the Viceroyalty of New Spain were the antecedent of the Mexican War of Independence. Most of them occurred after 1808, after Napoleon invaded Spain and forced the Bourbon kings to abdicate in favor of his brother José. However, there was a previous antecedent: the Conspiracy of the Machetes.

The political change in the metropolis was joined by a series of internal factors that explain the revolutionary attempts. The Spanish were the only ones who could occupy important positions in the administration, while the lowest echelon in the social hierarchy was occupied by both indigenous people, peasants and mestizos.

Miguel Hidalgo. Source: By José Inés Tovilla (http://www.inehrm.gob.mx/), undefined

In between, the Creoles, increasingly abundant and with better education and economic means. Despite this, their access to positions of power was prevented. It was they who organized the conspiracies against the Viceroyalty.

In principle, they only wanted self-government, but under the Spanish monarchy. Over time, however, that demand evolved into the quest for independence.

The main conspiracies were those of Valladolid (Morelia) and that of Querétaro, which led to the Grito de Dolores.

Main conspiracies against the Viceroyalty of New Spain

When Napoleon Bonaparte, with the excuse of taking his army to Portugal, invaded Spain, the consequences did not take long to reach the Viceroyalty of New Spain.

The Creoles were opposed to the fact that sovereignty would pass into French hands and tried to imitate the model that had been created by Spaniards who resisted the invasion.

His proposal was to create Government Boards that would take the reins of the Viceroyalty, while maintaining loyalty to the deposed Fernando VII. However, the colonial authorities objected, replacing Viceroy Iturrigaray.

This circumstances, together with internal factors, caused the Creoles to begin to organize. Thus, in various parts of the Viceroyalty, there were a series of conspiracies that sought to achieve their objectives.

Machete conspiracy

Before Napoleon invaded Spain, the first conspiracy took place in the colony: that of the machetes. This took place in 1799 and its leaders were Creoles from Mexico City. Its name comes from the weapons that the rebels gathered: about 50 machetes and a couple of pistols.

This attempt at insurrection was quelled before it began, but it had a considerable impact on the Viceroyalty and is considered to be one of the antecedents of the following conspiracies.

The promoter of the rebellion was Pedro de la Portilla, of Creole origin and a very humble family. He convinced 20 young people from the same social stratum and willing to take up arms against the authorities

The reason for this conspiracy was the legal and social differentiation that existed between the Creoles and the "peninsulares", born in Spain. These were the only ones who could access important positions, leaving the Creoles with a secondary role. The conspirators intended to liberate the territory and declare independence.

A relative of Portilla, alarmed by the preparations, notified the authorities on November 10, 1799. The conspirators were arrested, although hiding motive due to the fear that the population would support them and rebel.

Conspiracy of Valladolid

In Valladolid (Morelia), in 1809, one of the most important conspiracies against the Viceroyalty took place. It was, again, the Creoles who took the initiative.

Discrimination against the peninsulares created great discontent among the Creoles. They had gained economic and political weight, but important positions were forbidden to them. To this must be added the situation in the metropolis, with the overthrow of Ferdinand VII in favor of the French.

Illustrious figures of the city, such as the brothers Michelena and José María Obeso, began to meet to form a Constitutive Board. Likewise, they allied with indigenous groups, incorporating the Indian Pedro Rosales into their group.

In his own words, the conspirators intended "to take over the situation in the province, to form a Congress in the capital that would govern in the name of the king in the event that Spain fell in the fight against Napoleon." It was, therefore, an attempt to form an autonomous government, but maintaining loyalty to the monarch.

Just before the scheduled date of the rebellion, a cathedral priest communicated the plans to the authorities. On December 21, 1809, the entire plot was exposed and the insurrection failed before it began.

Revolution of Saint Michael the Great

Although the Valladolid conspirators had not achieved their objective, some soldiers who had contact with them began to meet in the Bajío area. The intention was to continue with the plan elaborated by Michelena and García Obeso.

Among those who held meetings in San Miguel el Grande were Captains Ignacio Allende and Mariano Abasolo, ready to take up arms. However, they soon decided to move to Querétaro, where they incorporated several lawyers, small merchants and more soldiers from the colonial army to their cause.

Conspiracy of Querétaro

The Conspiracy of Querétaro took place in 1810 and, despite its failure, it was fundamental for the beginning of the War of Independence. As in that of Valladolid, the conspirators only intended, in principle, to create a Board that would replace the viceregal authorities, but maintaining fidelity to Fernando VII.

Among the participants in the meetings held at the home of the mayor of Querétaro, José Miguel Dominguez, were Ignacio Allende, Juan Aldama, Josefa Ortiz (wife of the mayor) and Juan Nepomuceno Mier, among others. It was a group made up of well-established creoles.

Allende took the reins of the conspiracy, but they soon understood that they needed more support, including that of the indigenous and the popular classes.

This led to contact with the priest of Dolores, Miguel Hidalgo, with great prestige among those groups. Hidalgo agreed to participate, becoming one of the main heroes of independence.

The planned plan was to take up arms in early December 1810, surprising the Spanish. However, months before, the conspiracy had reached the ears of the authorities, who proceeded to arrest some participants in September of that year.

Pain scream

Although it was not strictly a conspiracy, it was the result of all the previous ones, especially that of Querétaro. Once this was discovered, the corregidor's wife, Josefa Ortiz, managed to notify Allende so that he could get to safety.

The military man headed for Dolores to meet with Hidalgo and tell him what had happened. At that moment, the priest decided to take the lead and uttered a phrase that announced the imminent war: “I have thought it through, and I see that, in effect, we have no other choice, than to catch gachupines, so we will finish have dinner and we will start

In just a few hours, Hidalgo summoned the townspeople by ringing the church bells. On September 16, 1810, before a crowd of followers, Miguel Hidalgo launched the so-called Grito de Dolores. With him, he called on the entire nation to rise up against the Viceroyalty.

At those times, the priest still manifested his loyalty to Fernando VII, but, over time, the idea of ​​absolute independence was imposed among the rebels.

In a few hours, Hidalgo gathered 600 armed men. The War of Independence had begun.

References

1. Wikipedia. Machetes conspiracy. Obtained from es.wikipedia.org
2. Mexico history. Conspiracy of Valladolid. Obtained from independencedemexico.com.mx
3. Sedena. The conspiracy of Querétaro (1810). Recovered from sedena.gob.mx
4. Archer, Christon I. The Birth of Modern Mexico, 1780-1824. Recovered from books.google.es
5. Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture. Valladolid Conspiracy (1809). Retrieved from encyclopedia.com
6. Searching in History. Queretaro Conspiracy: The Root of the War of Independence. Retrieved from searchinginhistory.blogspot.com
7. Minster, Christopher. The "Cry of Dolores" and Mexican Independence. Retrieved from thoughtco.com
8. Revolvy. Conspiracy of the Machetes. Retrieved from revolvy.com