WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE INDEPENDENCE OF MEXICO? - HISTORY - 2024

Different important protagonists participated in the Independence of Mexico. Some of them were: Miguel Hidalgo, Ignacio Allende, Agustín de Iturbide, José María Morelos, Juan Ruiz de Apodaca or Juan O'Donojú.

All of them participated, on both sides, in the conflict through the different chronological stages of it.

The Mexican War of Independence was a series of revolts and armed conflicts between the Mexican colony and the forces of the Spanish Crown, which took place at the beginning of the 19th century (1810) and culminated in 1821 with the signing of the Cordoba Treaty.

Although the war began in 1810, the people of Mexico, like the people of the other colonies of Spain in America, never accepted the Spanish yoke, so it can be said that discontent towards the Spanish authorities was general and existed. since the conquest.

In addition to general discontent, Enlightenment ideas from Europe, promoting human rights (such as freedom and equality) and criticizing absolutist governments (such as Spain's), gained popularity in America and spurred colonies to rebel.

So when Spain was invaded by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1808, the Mexican territory was more than willing to oppose the Spanish Crown.

The criollos (sons of Spaniards born in America) began to organize independence movements, one of the main leaders being Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla.

In addition to this, other nations (England, the United States, among others) offered their support to Mexico. Thus, on September 16, 1810, the war that would result in the independence of Mexico began.

From this summary, we can see that there were many actors who participated in the independence of Mexico, both directly and indirectly.

These include the thinkers of the Enlightenment, the Napoleonic army, the countries that offered aid and, finally, the people in the colonies.

The most important protagonists of the independence of Mexico

- Military, politicians and other important figures

1- Miguel Hidalgo

Miguel Hidalgo was a Mexican priest and political and military leader, initiator of the War of Independence.

In 1810, he gave rise to the revolution with the so-called Grito de Dolores, which was nothing more than a fiery plea to his parishioners in the parish where he officiated.

He led the first stage of the War of Independence until he was captured, tried and shot in 1811.

The state of Hidalgo, with its capital in Pachuca, owes its name, granted posthumously.

2- Ignacio Allende

Ignacio Allende was Hidalgo's first and main ally in the initial months of the Mexican War of Independence.

However, shortly after some differences between the two caused a separation that led Allende to confess plans to assassinate Hidalgo.

After his separation from Miguel Hidalgo, Allende replaced him as leader and commander of the insurgent forces. This occurred after the resounding defeat of the insurgents in the Battle of Calderón Bridge.

He was arrested along with Hidalgo in an ambush and suffered the same fate: he was tried, sentenced and executed.

3- Agustín de Iturbide

Agustín de Iturbide was a military man and Mexican emperor. In the early stages of the War of Independence, he fought on the side loyal to the Spanish Crown against the insurgents.

Over the years, his ideas changed and, after agreeing with the insurgents, he ended up agreeing on the independence of Mexico with Juan O'Donojú, representative of the Spanish Crown in Mexico.

Thus, he became a key historical figure. However, his time as emperor was brief and turbulent, forcing him into exile after a blow against him.

4- Jose Maria Morelos

José María Morelos was a Mexican priest, military and revolutionary. He led the second stage of the Mexican War of Independence. During 1811 and 1814, their military might was evident when they conquered much of the south of the country.

His continuous victories on the battlefield, winning strategic places, made him the main enemy of the Spanish Crown. The state of Morelia owes its name to it.

5- Juan Ruiz de Apodaca

Ruiz de Apodaca was a Spanish sailor, the last viceroy of Mexico appointed by the Spanish Crown. He served between 1816 and 1820. Before that, he had already been governor of Cuba after his promotion to captain general.

His military career was exalted, which earned him the viceroyalty of New Spain in a troubled time. His not very belligerent and very dialogue style allowed him to obtain the sympathy of the indigenous population and facilitated the surrender of many insurgents.

Despite this, he was deposed in 1821 by Spanish military troops with a different ideological vision.

6- Juan O'Donojú

Juan O'Donojú was a Spanish military man, the last representative authority of Spain on Mexican soil before the consummation of independence.

He agreed with the insurgents to suspend hostilities and withdraw Spanish troops from Mexico City, after which independence was consummated.

- Philosophers of illustration

The Enlightenment was a historical period that developed in the 18th century in Europe, mainly in Germany (Aufklärung), in France (lumières) and in England (Enlightenment).

This philosophical current sought the reorganization of the State and society taking into account the power of reason.

The Enlightenment texts were distributed in the Spanish colonies, including Mexico, so it can be said that the Enlightenment philosophers indirectly participated in the independence of Mexico.

The ideas of the philosophers Montesquieu and Rosseau were some of the most important for the independence of the colonies.

Charles-Luis Montesquieu

Montesquieu was a French thinker. His contributions include the classification of political regimes in monarchy, democracy and despotism.

He criticized authoritarian regimes, in which power was concentrated in a single individual, and proposed the division of government power into three organs: executive, legislative, and judicial.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Rousseau was a Swiss philosopher of the Enlightenment. He stated that all human beings are equal before the law, and that they are born with the same rights: equality, freedom and the right to life.

Likewise, he complemented Montesquieu's ideas by pointing out that the political authority of a nation resides in the people and not in a particular individual.

- Participation of the Napoleonic army in the independence of Mexico

In 1789, there was the French Revolution, a movement led by Napoleon Bonaparte. As with the Enlightenment, the ideals promoted by this revolution (equality, liberty and fraternity) spread in the American colonies, encouraging them to free themselves from the Spanish yoke.

However, the intervention of the Napoleonic army does not end here. In 1808, Napoleon Bonaparte entered Spanish territory, took control of Spain, and left the government at the hands of his brother, José Bonaparte.

The news that Spain was vulnerable due to the invasion of Napoleon Bonaparte motivated the colonies and thus began the independence processes in Latin America.

- Participation of the people in the independence of Mexico

In the colonies various clandestine organizations were created in order to plan the rebellion against Spain. One of these organizations was the Querétaro Literature Club.

At first, organizations of this type only included white creoles, but later the creoles saw that the inclusion of the masses would be beneficial. In this way, the aborigines and mestizos were added to the rebellion.

One of the most relevant members of the Querétaro club was Miguel Hidalgo y Castilla, a liberal father who questioned the policies of the Church (such as celibacy, the prohibition of certain types of literature, the infallibility of the Pope, among others).

In Querétaro, Father Hidalgo met Captain Ignacio Allende. In 1810, these two figures began to plan a rebellion against the Spanish authorities, which was to break out in December of that same year.

However, the Spanish forces learned of the rebellion and in an attempt to prevent it from breaking out they ordered the arrest of the insurgents.

Because his strategy had been discovered, Father Hidalgo had no choice but to advance the rebellion. Thus, on September 16, 1810, the war for the independence of Mexico began.

Despite not having training, the colonial forces (composed mainly of aboriginals and mestizos) managed to defeat the royalist forces. Subsequently, Hidalgo organized an army proper, composed of 80,000 paid soldiers.

In 1811, Hidalgo and his men were ambushed, captured, and later executed.

After Hidalgo's death, the mestizo priest José Morelos organized the captaincies of Mexico that had been liberated by the Mexican army and established a Congress in which he declared independence, the abolition of slavery, and class equality. Morelos was captured and tried by the Inquisition and by the military court. He was executed in 1815.

General Manuel Mier y Terán was Morelos's successor, however, he was not able to unite the Mexican forces, which continued to fight independently, which facilitated their defeat.

Finally, political tensions between the settlers and the royalist authorities made Agustín de Iturbide (official of the Spanish Crown) and Vicente Guerrero (leader of the Mexican forces for 1821) sign the Plan of Iguala that guaranteed the preservation of the status of the Church. Catholic, the independence of Mexico and the equality between Spaniards and Creoles.

On August 24, 1821, Juan O'Donoju and Iturbide signed the treaty of Córdoba and Mexico became a free nation.

References

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6. Mexican War of Independence. Retrieved on June 21, 2017, from newworldencyclopedia.org
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