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Spain Surrenders to the French
Napoleon's French Army invaded Spain and by February 1st they had conquered all but one of the Spanish cities: Cádiz. The siege of Cádiz went on for 31 months, ending on August 25 1812. Napoleon also took prince Ferdinand out of power and placed his brother Joseph king of Spain. -
The Conspiracy in Queretaro is Discovered
Conspiracies were becoming more and more common in the colony, they were groups of people who plotted to overthrow the government. The conspiracy at Queretaro was held in the house of Doña Josefa Ortiz de Domingues, known as "La Corregidora". After the conspiracy was discovered, she asked a friend to go to San Miguel de Allende to warn Ignacio Allende of what had happened. -
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First Phase of the Independence Struggle (Initiation)
During this phase, the first real organized rebellionwas carried out in the colony. Led by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and Ignacio Allende, this phase cpuld have ended the war within 3 moths, but Hidalgo refused to invade Mexico City and was ultimately defeated. -
The Grito de Dolores
Miguel Hidalgo y Costila was a Creol priest who was in charge of a small town named Dolores Hidalgo in Guanajuato. He mostly managed the economy and politics of Dolores instead of the spiritual aspects. After he had been warned of the conspiracy's discovery, he rallied the people of Dolores with a speech saying: Long live Our Lady of Guadalupe, death to bad government, death to the gachupines!". -
Battle at the Alhóndiga de Granaditas
With what was more of a mob than an anrmy behind him, Miguel Hidalgo set course for Guanajuato. When he arrived there he asked the Intendente of the city to give it over peacefully, but the Intendente had heard of the way that the mob had looted the towns on the way to the city, and knew that they would do the same there, so he refused the peace offering. In the ensuing battle, the Spaniards made their stand in the Alhóndiga de Granaditas, which was a large communal granary. -
The "Pipila"
During the battle at the Alhóndiga de Granaditas, the door to the fortress was destroyed. Most people think it was due to the Pipila, a ficticious figure that supposedly strapped a rock to his back, and crawled through the battlefield with a torch, and set fire to the door. In reality, the door was destroyed by accident. The insurgents had a cannon they called "El Niño" which was badly made, and shot in random directions. One of these shots hit the door and destroyed it. -
Battle at Monte de las Cruces
Miguel Hidalgo and his mob headed for Mexico City (After looting Guanajuato savagely) and encountered a Spanish army under Turcuato Trujillo in the forest outside the capital. Through sheer numbers the Insurgent mob managed to defeat the Spanish force and drove them away. With the Spanish general Calleja and the largest of the imperial forces at San Luis Potosí, the capital was at their mercy. -
The Battle of Calderón Bridge
Caleja caught up to Hidalgo's mob of 100,000 men in Guadalajara. Hidalgo's decision to not invade the capital had cost him dearly, and during the battle, Calleja's 7,000 men defeated the Insurgent mob. HIdalgo and Allende fled north to the US to buy weapons and regroup. -
Miguel Hidalgo Executed
Miguel Hidalgo and Ignacio Allende were captured trying to get to the US. Ignacio Allende, being a military man with no religious status, was executed on June 26 of the same year. Miguel Hidalgo was tried by the Catholic Church, steipped of his title as priest, and then executed by firing squad. The heads of the Insurgent leaders were hung at the Alhóngida de Granaditas as a warning to potential new Insurgents. -
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Consolidation
Jose Maria Morelos y Pavón was the leader of the Insurgency in the south of the colony, and his forces took many towns and small cities. He was a former student of Hidalgo, and his goals infolved equality for all instead of just for Creols and Spaniards. -
Jose Maria Morelos y Pavón captured and executed
Jose Maria Morelos y Pavón took over the Insurgency movement after the deaths of Hidalgo and Allende. He had begun taking towns in the south of the colony and had considerable sucess. His adress at Chilpancingo was key in the way it promoted equal rights and established his plan of action. He as eventually captured and executed by the Spaniards. -
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Resistance
Suring this time, there were many disorganized bands that altough they were not as united as the previous attempts, prevented the Spanish from regaining control of the colony. These were moslty guerilla grous that roamed the countryside taking over small towns and villages. -
The Plan de Iguala
United under the flag of the Three Guarantees, (Religion, Independance, and Unity) Agustin de iturbide, a former Spanish liutenant, and Vicente Guerrero, signed a pact determining their plan of action. Secretly, Iturbide just wanted to secure the crown of the future Empire for himself, and he tricked Guerrero into agreeing. -
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Consumation
Agustin de Iturbide ends the war of Independance after 11 years of struggling and established himself as Emperor for little less than a year. -
Mexican Empire Declares its Independance
Agustín de Iturbide and his forces marched into Mexico City and took over the government. The Mexican Empire had been created, and as a result of the Plan de Iguala, the crown immediately went to Agustín de Iturbide.
