Father Hidalgo was born into a moderately wealthy family in the city of Guanajuato, northwest of Mexico City, in 1753. He attended the Jesuit College of San Francisco Javier, received a bachelor's degree from the University of Mexico in 1774, and was ordained into the priesthood in 1778. He soon earned the enmity of the orthodoxy, however, by openly challenging church doctrine.
In 1803, Hidalgo accepted the curacy of the small parish of Dolores, not far from his native city of Guanajuato. Between 1803 and 1810, he directed most of his energy to improving the economic prospects of his parishioners. He also joined a small literary club that, over time, became committed to securing Mexican independence from Spain. In September 1810, Spanish authorities learned of the group's plot to incite a rebellion. On September 13, they searched the home of Epigmenio Gonzalez in the city of Queretaro where they found a large supply of weapons and ammunition. Warned of his impending arrest, Hidalgo preempted authorities by issuing the Grito de Dolores on the morning of September 16. Attracting enthusiastic support from the Indian and mestizo population, he and his band of revolutionaries moved toward the town of San Miguel.
The rebel army encountered its first serious resistance at Guanajuato. After a fierce battle that took the lives of more than 500 Spaniards and 2,200 Indians, the rebels won the city. By October, the revolutionary army, now 80,000 strong, was close to taking Mexico City. Hidalgo, fearful of unleashing the army on the capital city, hesitated, then retreated to the north. He was captured in Texas, then still a part of the Spanish Empire, and executed by firing squad on July 31, 1811. After ten more years of fighting, a weakened and divided Mexico won independence from Spain with the signing of the Treaty of Cordoba on August 24, 1821.
Use the Library of Congress to learn more about Mexico and the history of U.S.-Mexican relations:
- View one of the Top Treasures in the Library of Congress' American Treasures exhibition. The Huexotzinco Codex is an eight-sheet document on amatl, a pre- European paper made in Mesoamerica. It is part of the testimony in a legal case against representatives of Spain's colonial government in Mexico and dates to 1531, ten years after the Spanish conquest.
- Touring Turn-of-the-Century America, 1880-1920 has a rich collection of photographs of Mexico, many of them by noted photographer William Henry Jackson. To view these pictures, search the collection on Mexico.
- Search the collection Taking the Long View, 1851-1991 on Mexico to find panoramic photographs.
- Read the Today in History feature on the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo, which celebrates Mexicos defeat of French troops at the town of Puebla in 1862. This event is also widely celebrated by Latinos in the U.S.
