CRY OF PAIN: CAUSES, DEVELOPMENT, CONSEQUENCES, CHARACTERS - HISTORY - 2024

The Grito de Dolores or cry of the Independence of Mexico was the act by which Mexicans were called to rebel against the Spanish colonial power. The author of this appeal was Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and it took place in the town of Dolores, Guanajuato, on September 16, 1810.

The Napoleonic invasion of Spain, with the overthrow of the king and his replacement by José Bonaparte, had provoked rejection in the population of New Spain. Furthermore, before that, several conspiracies had been organized against the colonial authorities, led, for the most part, by the Creoles.

Mural of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla by Salvador Almaraz López - Source: Own Work released into the public domain

One of those conspiracies was that of Querétaro. The conspirators decided to contact Miguel Hidalgo, who had gained great influence among indigenous people and peasants during his work as a priest. It was the way to expand the number of supporters of the rebellion beyond the Creoles.

When the Spanish discovered the conspirators' plans, Hidalgo decided to take action. After summoning the population, he made an appeal that became the starting point of the Mexican War of Independence.

Historical background

Before the Grito de Dolores, some movements had already been organized to demand changes in what was then New Spain. Among the most important conspiracies are that of the Machetes, still in the 18th century, or the Conspiracy of Valladolid, shortly before the war began.

Most of these conspiracies were led by the Creoles. These had been gaining in economic power, but, due to the laws of the time, they were denied access to important positions of power.

Apart from these circumstances, the influence of the Enlightenment was also beginning to be noticed in New Spain. Both the Independence of the United States and the French Revolution had helped liberal ideas to begin to spread throughout the colony.

Napoleonic invasion of Spain

Although, as has been pointed out, some voices had already appeared in New Spain demanding greater autonomy, it was an event that occurred in Spain that shook up the political situation. Napoleon's invasion of the peninsula in 1808 caused the fall of the Spanish king, which caused great concern in the colony.

In Spain the supporters of King Fernando VII created Government Boards to organize resistance against the invaders.

In New Spain, the first conspirators tried to copy that model, claiming their own government, but swearing allegiance to the Spanish monarch.

Conspiracy of Valladolid

Before the Conspiracy of Querétaro, which ended up giving rise to the Grito de Dolores, another important conspiracy had developed in Valladolid.

The Conspiracy of Valladolid, in September 1809, sought to form a Junta similar to those that had been created in the peninsula in New Spain. The conspirators wanted it to be a kind of autonomous government, although under the authority of Fernando VII.

Conspiracy of Querétaro

After the failure of the Conspiracy of Valladolid, the next great movement that sought the autonomy of the territory developed in Querétaro, in 1810.

In that town, it had been the magistrate himself, Miguel Domínguez, who had begun to rally the supporters of starting a revolt. Among the most prominent members of this conspiracy were Ignacio Allende, Juan Aldama and the corregidor's own wife, Josefa Ortiz.

Since most of the conspirators belonged to the middle or upper classes of society, they considered that it was necessary to add support from other sectors, such as the indigenous. To do this, Allende contacted Miguel Hidalgo, a priest highly appreciated for his work.

The Conspiracy of Querétaro had, in its beginning, the same objective as that of Valladolid. Thus, they wanted the creation of a Governing Board that would swear allegiance to Fernando VII. At that time, independence was not yet among the conspirators' intentions.

The date chosen to start the revolt was October 2 and the conspirators began preparing to add support and make it a success.

Causes

The immediate cause of Hidalgo launching the Grito de Dolores was the reaction of the viceregal authorities to the Conspiracy of Querétaro. However, there were other deeper causes, both social and economic and political.

Change in the Spanish throne

As noted, Napoleon decided to appoint his brother José as the new king of Spain. In the colony, no sector accepted the authority of the new monarch, remaining faithful to Fernando VII.

Social inequality

The social organization of New Spain was very classy. In the lowest part of the pyramid there were indigenous and mestizos, but it was not they who started the independence movements, but the Creoles.

The Creoles, over the years, had managed to establish themselves as one of the most economically important sectors. Furthermore, his academic training had improved remarkably.

The main problem was that the laws in force reserved access to the most important positions of power, both political and ecclesiastical, for peninsulares. This discrimination led them to lead the conspiracies of Valladolid and Querétaro.

Influence of liberal ideas

The access to a better education, mentioned before, made the Creoles able to be aware of what was happening outside their borders. The events that most influenced the arrival of liberal and egalitarian ideas were the French and American Revolutions.

Development

The members of the Conspiracy of Querétaro used to meet in the house of the magistrate Domínguez. In addition to his wife, figures such as Ignacio Allende, Juan Aldama and the lawyer Juan Nepomuceno Mier participated in these meetings.

Almost all the participants were Creoles and they soon understood that, for their revolt to succeed, they would need popular support, including indigenous people. For that reason, they noticed a priest who worked in Dolores, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. His work with indigenous people and peasants had earned him great prestige and influence among them.

Conspiracy Discovery

Although the conspirators tried to take all possible precautions, their plans reached the ears of the colonial authorities.

Fortunately for them, the royalists only knew that a revolt was brewing, but not the identity of the participants. For this reason, the first complaint about the events was made before Corregidor Domínguez.

This, to try to buy time, ordered the arrest of some suspects. However, the viceregal authorities were not satisfied with this and, on September 11, organized mass arrests to capture the rebels, although with little success.

The corregidor's wife, Josefa Ortiz, found out that this raid was taking place and told Allende to help his companions to safety. Allende headed for Dolores, to meet with Hidalgo. Both men decided to try to reunite all the conspirators who were still at large in that locality.

It was in those moments that Miguel Hidalgo took the initiative and declared that the time had come to take up arms. His words to Allende were as follows: "I have thought it through, and I see that, in effect, we have no other choice, than to catch gachupines, so we will finish dinner and start"

Release of prisoners

During the night of September 15, Hidalgo and Allende set off. His first move was to organize an armed group to free all those imprisoned for their independence ideas.

Pain scream

Miguel Hidalgo, already in the early morning of September 16, headed towards the local church. There, he rang the bells to warn all the inhabitants of Dolores.

Around the church a crowd gathered to listen to Hidalgo. This then began the speech that would be known as the Grito de Dolores.

According to historians, there are no direct testimonies about Hidalgo's exact words. There is, however, a document written by the Bishop of Valladolid de Michoacán, Manuel Abad y Queipo, and which was published on September 28. The ecclesiastic described Hidalgo's performance in the following way:

«… And insulting religion and our sovereign D. Fernando VII, he painted on his banner the image of our patron saint, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and put the following inscription: Long live our Holy Mother of Guadalupe. Long live Fernando VII. Long live America. And the bad government dies… »

What is known for sure is that Hidalgo called on the congregation to take up arms against the Spanish to fight to establish an autonomous government in New Spain.

Consequences

Once the speech was over, Hidalgo led all those who decided to join his cause. The group began to search for everything that could serve as a weapon, even if they were only machetes or spears.

The first objective of the small army assembled by Hidalgo was the city of Guanajuato. The priest tried to get the city to surrender without a fight, but the authorities refused the offer. Finally, the insurgents took the town by force, causing a great number of casualties among their enemies.

Start of the War of Independence

As news of the uprising reached the rest of New Spain, support for Hidalgo grew massively. Thus, soon, they were able to form an authentic army capable of facing the Spanish.

At first, the insurgents defeated the Spanish in several major battles, taking the cities of Celaya and Salamanca. Hidalgo, then, was officially appointed as a general of the rebel army.

Battle of Monte de las Cruces

The conflict had a turning point in late October. Hidalgo's troops had Mexico City very close and closer when they defeated the Spanish at Monte de las Cruces.

However, instead of heading towards the capital, Hidalgo decided to regroup his troops and make them march towards El Bajío. The reasons for that decision are not known for sure, but there is a consensus that it changed the course of the war.

First independent government

One of the most important consequences of the Grito de Dolores, apart from the beginning of the war against the Spanish, was the creation of the first independent government of Mexico. This was formed in Guadalajara in November 1810.

There, Hidalgo declared independence, proceeding later to promulgate several laws with a great social character. Among them, the elimination of slavery and an agrarian reform, in addition to freeing the indigenous people from the taxes that, until then, they had to pay to the authorities of the viceroyalty.

However, in the military, the situation began to be negative for the rebels. The royalists began to recover and, on January 17, 1811, Hidalgo suffered an important defeat at the Battle of Puente Calderón.

This, together with the growing tensions between the pro-independence leaders, caused Hidalgo to be removed as head of the army. Despite their attempt to flee to the United States to seek allies, Hidalgo and other companions were betrayed and captured by the Spanish at the Norias de Baján.

Soon after, all the prisoners were executed. However, the War of Independence that began with the Grito de Dolores continued for several years until it reached its final goal.

Characters involved

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla

Miguel Hidalgo, the priest of Dolores, was one of the first heroes of Mexican independence. Born in Guanajuato, he was ordained a priest in 1778, doing a job that earned him the trust of the most popular classes in the state.

That popularity was the main reason that led the conspirators from Querétaro to seek his support for the revolt they were preparing.

When the conspirators were discovered by the Spanish, Hidalgo led the movement. On September 16, 1810, he launched the so-called Grito de Dolores, beginning the War of Independence.

During the first months of the conflict, Hidalgo was the head of the insurgent army. Likewise, he was the organizer of the first autonomous government of the country.

The first laws passed were in accordance with the social concerns that he already demonstrated during his time as a priest: abolition of slavery, elimination of indigenous taxes and agrarian reform.

After a series of military defeats and being dismissed as military chief, Hidalgo tried to escape to the United States. However, he was captured along with several of his companions. On July 30, 1811, he was shot by the Spanish in Chihuahua.

Ignacio Allende

Ignacio Allende, who had been born in January 1769, entered the army very young, so his military status was highly appreciated when the Conspiracy of Querétaro was organized.

When they were discovered by the Spanish, he quickly went to warn Hidalgo, who was in Dolores. In the meeting between the two, the priest made the decision to immediately call for an armed uprising.

After the Grito de Dolores, Allende became Captain General of the insurgent army. As such, it participated in battles such as the taking of Alhóndiga de Granaditas. After defeating the royalists at Monte de las Cruces, Allende was in favor of continuing towards Mexico City, but Hidalgo preferred to withdraw.

Allende was one of Hidalgo's companions during the flight to the United States. Like the priest, he was captured in Acatita de Baján. The royalists shot him in Chihuahua on June 26, 1811.

Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez

The role of Josefa Ortiz, wife of the magistrate Domínguez, in the Grito de Dolores was indirect but fundamental.

Together with her husband, Josefa Ortiz had been part of the Conspiracy of Querétaro. Its members, in fact, used to meet at her home.

When the conspiracy was discovered, Josefa Ortiz risked her life to warn Allende of the raids that the Spanish were carrying out. This allowed the military to flee and notify Hidalgo.

References

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3. Mexico history. Cry of pain. Obtained from historia-mexico.info
4. Minster, Christopher. The "Cry of Dolores" and Mexican Independence. Retrieved from thoughtco.com
5. Bos, Carole. Cry of Dolores - Mexico Asserts Independence. Retrieved from awesomestories.com
6. The Library of Congress. Pain scream. Retrieved from loc.gov
7. Kids Encyclopedia Facts. Grito de Dolores facts for kids. Retrieved from kids.kiddle.co
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