Mexican War of Independence Begins — Grito de Dolores
On 16 September 1810 the parish priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang the bell of his church in Dolores, Guanajuato, and called upon the local population—predominantly indigenous and mestizo—to rise against Spanish colonial rule in what became known as the 'Grito de Dolores' (Cry of Dolores). Hidalgo's army of 80,000 ill-equipped peasants captured Guanajuato but was defeated by royalist forces; Hidalgo was captured and executed in 1811. The struggle continued under José María Morelos until his execution in 1815, then resumed as a conservative Creole movement under Agustín de Iturbide, who achieved independence on his own terms with the Plan of Iguala (1821) and briefly ruled as Emperor of Mexico.
- Year: 1810 CE
- Category: Political
