STAGE OF RESISTANCE TO MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE: BACKGROUND AND DEVELOPMENT - HISTORY - 2025

The period of resistance of the Independence of Mexico or of guerrillas took place between 1815 and 1820. During this period, the supporters of the independence of the Spanish colony had to limit their activities to resisting the royalist offensive or, at most, to carrying out isolated actions..

The War of Independence had begun in 1810, when Miguel Hidalgo launched the Grito de Dolores. During the first stage, the rebels achieved several important victories, but were finally defeated by the colonial troops.

Francisco Javier Mina - Source:

After the death of Hidalgo, the independentistas managed to regroup and go on the offensive. Its main leader in this second stage was José María Morelos. Despite the defeats they inflicted on the Spanish, they managed to react. Morelos died fighting and the patriots were left without leaders capable of continuing the fight.

For these reasons, the third stage is called the resistance stage. Only Vicente Guerrero and Francisco Javier Mina maintained an offensive warlike activity. However, this period served to harden other future leaders, who, together with Guerrero, ended up getting Mexico to declare its independence in 1821.

Background

El Grito de Dolores was the call made by Miguel Hidalgo for the people to take up arms against the Spanish colonial authorities. That event, which took place on September 16, 1810, is considered the beginning of the War of Independence in Mexico.

The war lasted more than ten years and went through several different stages. Most historians divide the conflict into four periods, although some only speak of three.

First stage

Hidalgo's call had a very positive response. In a few weeks, the rebels managed to form a fairly large army. The insurrection spread throughout the colonial territory and the first battles were favorable to the independentistas.

However, the Spanish managed to recover and regain part of the ground they had lost. One of the decisive moments during this period was when the army commanded by Hidalgo was about to take Mexico City. However, the rebel leader decided not to attack and preferred to retreat.

In addition to allowing the Spanish to regroup, that decision caused serious disagreements among the insurgents. After several defeats in a row, the patriotic leaders tried to flee to the north of the country. Betrayed by one of their companions, they were captured and executed by the colonial troops.

Second stage

Despite the death of their main leaders, the insurgents did not give up. The second stage of the war was commanded by Ignacio López Rayón and, above all, José María Morelos.

In the beginning, the insurgents achieved some very important victories, both in the center and in the south of the country.

It was then that the Congress of Chilpancingo was convened, in February 1813. During these meetings, the reading of Sentimientos de la Nación took place, a document written by Morelos that became the seed of a Constitution of a future independent Mexico.

Death of Morelos

The royalists, before the victories of the rebels, appointed a soldier with experience on the battlefield as the new Viceroy: Felix María Calleja.

This initiated a strategy of harassment of all the independence groups in the territory. His attack on Chilpancingo forced Congress to flee and seek other headquarters.

Morelos suffered several consecutive defeats, which caused it to end up losing the official leadership of the insurrection. In November 1815 he was captured by the royalists.

As happened to him and Hidalgo, Morelos was tried and sentenced to death. His execution occurred on December 22, 1815.

Development

Faced with the loss of its main figure and the continuous defeats on the battlefield, the independence movement was practically disarticulated. The few who continued fighting had to settle for resisting or going to guerrilla warfare.

Leaderless movement

Although Morelos had lost his official positions, he was still the most important figure in the independence struggle. His execution left the insurgents without a charismatic leader with military experience who could coordinate the fight.

In this way, only Vicente Guerrero and Francisco Javier Mina started some attacks against the royalists.

Amnesty offer

Meanwhile, the royalists were forced to change their strategy. The violence unleashed by Calleja to repress the insurgents caused the Spanish monarch to replace him with Juan Ruiz de Apodaca.

He took office in 1816 and softened the policies of his predecessor. Among other things, it eliminated executions without prior trial and also offered the insurgents to surrender a general amnesty. Many of them accepted the offer.

Francisco Javier Mina

After being exiled from Spain for his opposition to King Fernando VII, Francisco Javier Mina received information about the struggle that was taking place in Mexico.

The Spaniard did not hesitate to join the cause of the insurgents and, although he was received with some mistrust for his origins, he soon earned the respect of his companions.

In April 1817, Mina reached the Mexican shores with three ships. The Spaniard, along with several supporters, landed in Soto la Marina and, using a printing press built by himself, published a document in which he set out his reasons for joining the insurgency.

Mina led a small army that achieved several victories against the royalists. Viceroy Apodaca, who at first had not taken the threat seriously, began to worry.

Apodaca organized a detachment to attack the Hat fort, the place where Mina had located her headquarters. Although she tried to resist the siege, she soon had to abandon her refuge due to food and ammunition shortages.

Mina was captured while trying to get supplies and weapons. He was shot, along with Pedro Moreno, on November 11, 1817.

Vicente Guerrero

In addition to the aforementioned Mina, the other insurgent leader who led the fight against the royalists during the resistance stage was Vicente Guerrero.

Guerrero managed to maintain a certain war activity in the south of the country, although using only guerrilla tactics. His actions, at least until September 1818, were not very successful and part of his men preferred to avail themselves of the amnesty promised by the Viceroy.

Despite this, Guerrero did not give up and continued to harass the colonial troops. During that period he was practically the only one who tried to keep up the insurgent spirit.

End of the stage

Neither Guerrero nor the attempts of other small groups, such as the one headed by Guadalupe Victoria, managed to revive the independence cause. The royalists managed to end some sources of resistance, such as Jaujilla or Palmillas.

Likewise, the leaders who had managed to escape were captured. That was the case of Rayón or Nicolás Bravo, who were sentenced to spend their lives in prison.

Consequences

At the end of the resistance stage it seemed that the insurgents had been totally defeated. As mentioned, only Vicente Guerrero continued the fight in the south.

It was then that an event that occurred in Spain changed the situation completely. An armed uprising of a liberal nature forced Fernando VII to swear in the Constitution of Cádiz. In Mexico, this meant the entry into the fourth stage of the war.

Conspiracy of La Profesa

The conservative sectors of the viceroyalty received the news from Spain with displeasure. Against liberalism, they held a series of meetings in which the Conspiracy of La Profesa was organized.

Their intention was to prevent liberalism and constitutionalism from reaching New Spain and they agreed that, if necessary, independence could be declared under an absolutist monarchy.

The conspirators chose Agustín de Iturbide as their military leader. One of their first tasks was to end the insurgent foci in the territory, since men like Guerrero had too liberal ideas for them.

Iguala Plan

Despite trying several times, Iturbide was unable to beat Guerrero. Given that, he changed his strategy and, in January 1821, he sent a letter to the insurgent leader to offer him a pardon in exchange for abandoning his arms. Guerrero refused to accept the offer.

A new letter sent by Iturbide requested a meeting with Guerrero to agree on peace. The meeting took place in Acatempan. By that time, Iturbide had been changing his thinking and the meeting ended with the so-called "Abrazo de Acatempan" and with an agreement between the two to fight for independence.

Iturbide himself was the one who drew up the Iguala Plan, a document based on three guarantees: independence, the unity of all the inhabitants of the new country and the maintenance of the Catholic religion as the only one allowed.

Independence

The alliance between Iturbide and Guerrero resulted in the creation of the Trigarante Army. Desertions on the royalist side soon began and the insurgents were gaining ground without much difficulty.

On August 24, 1821, Viceroy Juan O'Donojú, who had replaced the deposed Apodaca, signed the Treaties of Córdoba with Iturbide. With this agreement, the Viceroy assumed the theses of the Plan of Iguala.

The Trigarante Army continued its advance until, on September 27, it entered Mexico City. The following day, the country's independence was declared.

References

1. Schoolchildren. Resistance and guerrilla warfare in Mexico. Obtained from escolar.net
2. National School College of Sciences and Humanities. Third stage: Resistance. Obtained from portalacademico.cch.unam.mx
3. Avila, R. Independence of Mexico. Obtained from lhistoria.com
4. New World Encyclopedia. Mexican War of Independence. Retrieved from newworldencyclopedia.org
5. Ernst C. Griffin, Gordon R. Willey. Mexico. Retrieved from britannica.com
6. Your Dictionary. Vicente Guerrero Facts. Retrieved from biography.yourdictionary.com
7. The Biography. Biography of Javier Mina Larrea (1789-1817). Retrieved from thebiography.us