Have you ever heard the saying, “Some are born to greatness while others have greatness thrust upon them”? It’s a catchy phrase, but it doesn’t quite fit the story of Father Miguel Hidalgo. He didn’t just have greatness handed to him; he reached out and grabbed it, changing history in the process.
When you think of a revolutionary, you might picture a fierce warrior. But Miguel Hidalgo’s early life was quite different. Born on May 8, 1753, near the city of Guanajuato, Hidalgo grew up in a relatively comfortable environment. His family were criollos, people of European descent born in the Spanish colony of New Spain. They were part of the middle class, but not at the top of the social ladder. That spot was reserved for the peninsulares, Europeans born in Spain.
Hidalgo’s family wasn’t very wealthy, but they were connected to the indigenous people who worked on the hacienda his father managed. This gave Hidalgo a unique perspective on the lives of the lower classes, and he even learned three native languages. Despite his family’s modest means, Hidalgo had opportunities that many others didn’t, such as studying philosophy and theology in Valladolid, which led him to the priesthood.
Hidalgo wasn’t your typical priest. While teaching at the Colegio de San Nicolás, he was known for his love of gambling and parties, often breaking church rules. But he was also a deep thinker, reading works by Enlightenment thinkers and embracing ideas about natural law and social justice. Ironically, a peninsulare named Manuel Abbad y Queipo encouraged him, hoping Hidalgo would help solve social issues. Little did he know, Hidalgo would soon ignite a revolution.
In 1803, Hidalgo became the priest of the town of Dolores, which was struggling economically. He encouraged locals to start small businesses, like rearing silkworms and growing grapes, to help the town become self-sufficient. As he continued to read and think about politics, Hidalgo became more radical, joining literary societies where people discussed the colonial government’s problems.
Meanwhile, across the ocean in Spain, the Napoleonic Wars were causing chaos. In 1808, French troops invaded Spain, leading to a crisis of leadership. This turmoil made the criollos in New Spain wonder if they could govern themselves. By 1810, they were planning a revolution.
On September 15, 1810, Hidalgo was awakened by his fellow revolutionaries, Ignacio de Allende and Juan de Aldama, who warned him that their plans had been discovered. Instead of fleeing, Hidalgo rang the church bells and delivered the famous Grito de Dolores. He called for an end to bad government, land rights for peasants, and the overthrow of the peninsulares. This speech inspired people from all walks of life to join the revolution.
By the next day, Hidalgo and Allende were leading an army of volunteers, which quickly grew as they marched through New Spain, capturing towns and cities. However, the army was unruly, and the violence they unleashed caused some criollos to side with the peninsulares. Despite this, Hidalgo continued to push for radical changes, like land redistribution and the abolition of slavery.
Hidalgo’s army took the city of Valladolid without a fight, but internal challenges and royalist forces soon weakened the revolution. After retreating from Mexico City, Hidalgo’s uprising began to collapse. He was eventually captured and executed on July 30, 1811. Although he didn’t live to see Mexican independence, his actions set the stage for the eventual victory in 1821.
Father Miguel Hidalgo’s life teaches us about the power of courage and determination. He wasn’t content to accept the world as it was; he took bold steps to change it. Without his actions, the history of Mexico—and the world—might have been very different.
Research the major events in Miguel Hidalgo’s life and create a detailed timeline. Include his early life, key moments in the revolution, and his legacy. Use visuals and descriptions to make your timeline engaging and informative.
In groups, reenact the famous Grito de Dolores speech. Assign roles such as Hidalgo, Ignacio de Allende, and Juan de Aldama. Focus on the emotions and motivations behind the speech. Discuss how this event might have felt for those involved.
Participate in a debate about Hidalgo’s role in Mexican independence. One side will argue that he was the key figure, while the other will argue that his impact was limited. Use evidence from the article and additional research to support your arguments.
Investigate the Enlightenment ideas that influenced Hidalgo. Create a presentation that explains these ideas and how they shaped his actions and beliefs. Highlight key Enlightenment thinkers and their works.
Imagine you are Miguel Hidalgo writing a letter to a friend about your hopes and fears for the revolution. Describe your motivations, the challenges you face, and your vision for the future of New Spain. Use historical details to make your letter authentic.
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The saying goes, “Some are born to greatness while others have greatness thrust upon them.” It’s a phrase that captures some vague truth about the world, but it also fails to encapsulate today’s subject. To have greatness thrust upon them is too passive, implying you’re either great from birth or become so due to the actions of others. However, there was nothing passive about Father Miguel Hidalgo’s moment in history. After decades as an anonymous nobody, he didn’t so much have greatness thrust upon him as he did seize it and make it his own.
Father Hidalgo, a controversial priest in Mexico’s Bajío region, jumped headlong into history with his 1810 cry of Dolores, advocating for equality that echoed far beyond his parish. Coming at a time of chronic instability, it inspired the uprising that became the Mexican War of Independence. But how did this happen? How did the actions of one small-town priest change North American history? The answer lies in a tale of chaos, revolution, and heartbreaking tragedy.
If your mental image of a Mexican revolutionary is of a glorious mustachioed peasant warrior, then the early life of Miguel Hidalgo might surprise you. Born on May 8, 1753, in a hacienda near the silver mining city of Guanajuato, Hidalgo didn’t grow up in a cruel world but one of comparative luxury. His family were criollos, people of pure European descent born in the Spanish colony of New Spain, numbering about 1 million. They were the comfortable middle class of the viceroyalty, the wealthy types who filled the priesthood and junior officer ranks, below them were two vast lower classes: the part-European, part-indigenous mestizos and the pure-blood Indians, the impoverished majority of the population.
While the criollos were near the top of this social hierarchy, they weren’t at the pinnacle; that place was reserved for the peninsulares, Europeans born in Spain. If the criollos were the priests and junior officers, the peninsulares were the generals and archbishops, the elite of the elite. This created a divisive policy that fostered resentment among even the most powerful criollos.
Miguel Hidalgo’s family were less powerful than most. Despite being of European descent, Hidalgo’s father was relatively poor and managed a hacienda, keeping in close contact with the indigenous people who did the real work. This gave Hidalgo insight into the lives of the lower classes that his contemporaries lacked, even learning three native languages. Still, he had more opportunities than most New Spain residents, such as studying in Valladolid for his degree in philosophy and theology. From there, it was an easy path into the priesthood.
However, Hidalgo was never a conventional priest. During his time teaching at Colegio de San Nicolás, he treated his ecclesiastical job as more of a game than a calling. A lifelong gambler, Hidalgo’s idea of a good time was partying, winning big, and breaking his vow of celibacy. Over his lifetime, he lived with multiple women and had several children, enjoying the sort of fun the church typically frowns upon.
Yet, Hidalgo was also an incisive free thinker. As one of the few people in New Spain allowed to read heretical books, he absorbed the works of Enlightenment thinkers, embracing ideas of natural law and social justice. Ironically, he was encouraged by the peninsulare Manuel Abbad y Queipo, who envisioned Hidalgo as a loyal colonial foot soldier who would tinker with social problems to alleviate misery. However, Hidalgo would soon blow the whole rotten edifice sky high.
After a decade of bouncing around various villages, Hidalgo found himself in the town of Dolores in 1803. At that time, the town was facing significant economic challenges due to a global price crash. As the new priest, Hidalgo focused on restarting the economy by encouraging locals to work on self-sustaining cottage industries rather than relying solely on the mines. He bought silkworms for the impoverished indigenous people to learn to rear them and set up terraces for growing grapes to make wine. This was an attempt to help Dolores stand on its own feet and break the cycles of poverty.
By now, Hidalgo had grown into a thin, middle-aged man with a shiny bald head and eyes alive with intelligence and occasional flashes of anger. As he continued to read subversive literature, he drifted more toward politics and radical solutions to the issues surrounding him. The entire Bajío was alive with literary societies where criollos met to discuss literature and rant about the colonial government.
Meanwhile, events taking place over 9,000 kilometers away would turn these literary societies into the touch paper for revolution. While New Spain dealt with its internal tensions, the situation in Madrid was deteriorating due to the Napoleonic Wars. In March 1808, French troops crossed the border, forcing Charles IV to abdicate in favor of his son Ferdinand VII. Napoleon’s actions led to chaos in Spain, and the legitimacy of the Spanish throne was called into question.
In New Spain, the criollos began to wonder if they could govern themselves. By 1810, they had gone from simply wondering to outright planning the unthinkable. On September 14, 1810, Francisco Xavier Venegas arrived in Mexico City, just hours before everything exploded. Hidalgo had opened a new cottage industry for peasants to secretly manufacture weapons, and the Querétaro literary club had added important members to their revolutionary plans.
On September 15, 1810, Hidalgo was awakened by Ignacio de Allende and Juan de Aldama, who informed him that the game was up. Rather than flee, Hidalgo ordered the church bells rung, summoning his congregation. He then delivered the famous speech known as the Grito de Dolores, calling for an end to bad government, land rights for peasants, and the overthrow of the peninsulares. This electrifying speech inspired the local criollos, mestizos, and indigenous people, igniting a revolution.
As dawn broke on September 16, Hidalgo and Allende led a newly formed volunteer army of around 800 men, which quickly swelled to 4,000 as they marched toward San Miguel. The revolution had begun, and Hidalgo’s army swept through New Spain with astonishing speed, capturing towns and cities along the way.
However, Hidalgo’s army was also an unruly mob, and the violence that erupted during their campaign caused many criollos to side with the peninsulares. Despite this, Hidalgo continued to embrace the radical demands of his peasant army, advocating for land restitution and the outlawing of slavery.
On October 17, Hidalgo’s army took Valladolid without a fight, and he held a mass of thanksgiving in the cathedral. However, as the revolution progressed, Hidalgo faced challenges from within his ranks and from the royalist forces. His decision to retreat from Mexico City after a significant battle ultimately led to the collapse of the uprising.
Hidalgo’s part in the revolution came to an end when he was captured and executed on July 30, 1811. His legacy is complex; he was a key figure in Mexican history, but he failed to see his dream of independence through to completion. The dream of independence did not die with him, as the war continued for another decade, ultimately resulting in a shock rebel victory in 1821.
In conclusion, the life of Father Hidalgo shows us that there exists another type of person: those with the courage to reach out and grasp greatness, even if only for a moment, to change the world. Without this one priest, our world today would look very different.
Before you leave, consider checking out my new channel, Waragraphics, where we explore the details of history’s most famous battles and wars.
Miguel – A common given name, often associated with historical figures such as Miguel Hidalgo, a leader in the Mexican War of Independence. – Miguel Hidalgo is celebrated as a national hero in Mexico for his role in initiating the struggle for independence from Spanish rule.
Hidalgo – A title of nobility in Spain, but also refers to Miguel Hidalgo, a key figure in Mexican history who led the fight for independence. – Hidalgo’s famous “Grito de Dolores” is considered the starting point of the Mexican War of Independence.
Independence – The state of being free from outside control; self-governance. – The American colonies declared their independence from British rule in 1776, marking the birth of the United States.
Revolution – A significant change in political power or organizational structures, often achieved through conflict or protest. – The French Revolution dramatically altered the course of history by overthrowing the monarchy and establishing a republic.
Criollos – People of Spanish descent born in the Americas, often holding a lower status than those born in Spain during colonial times. – The criollos played a crucial role in the Latin American wars of independence, seeking greater political power and autonomy.
Peninsulares – Spanish-born individuals residing in the colonies, often holding the highest social and political positions. – Tensions between the peninsulares and criollos contributed to the revolutionary movements in Latin America.
Dolores – A town in Mexico where Miguel Hidalgo issued his famous call for independence, known as the “Grito de Dolores.” – The town of Dolores is historically significant as the birthplace of the Mexican independence movement.
Government – The governing body of a nation, state, or community, responsible for making and enforcing laws. – The structure of the United States government is defined by the Constitution, which outlines the separation of powers among the branches.
Social – Relating to society or its organization, often concerning issues of community and relationships among people. – Social reforms during the Progressive Era aimed to address issues such as labor rights and women’s suffrage.
Justice – The quality of being fair and reasonable, often associated with the legal system and the protection of rights. – The Civil Rights Movement sought justice for African Americans by challenging segregation and discrimination laws.
