Latin American Revolutions Project.- Miguel Hidalgo(:

Miguel Hidalgo (1753-1811) - Mexican Roman Catholic priest, creole, and revolutionary leader. Miguel Hidalgo was born to a criollo family in the Corralejo Hacienda. A criollo was a Mexican who was generally of Spanish ancestry. He trained as a priest and had a great interest in both political and social questions. As he grew older, he was known as the "Father of the Country" by many Mexican people. Hidalgo fought for independence from Spain being founder of the Mexican War of Independence. It was 1810 when Hidalgo rang the bells of his church in the village of Dolores after hearing that the Spanish colonial authorities were on the move. It was then he made his speech, the Grito de Dolores ("Cry of Dolores"), in which he demanded independence. It was then the War of Independence had began in the town of San Miguel el Grande.  While the Spanish governor attempted to organize a defensive army, he only came about some 500 Creole and Spanish soldiers. This was in Hidalgo's advantage, seeing he had put together a mestizo army of about 20,000 soldiers. The town finally fell during which many of the Spaniards and criollos were massacred at the Alhondiga de Granaditas. It was then the mestizo army moved southeast towards Mexico City where 3000 cavalry and 600 infantry had been placed at the pass of Las Cruces. It was there Hidalgo's army had been defeated by the Spanish army which forced the survivors of the battle to seek refuge in a few nearby areas. In 1811, Miguel Hidalgo was shot for treason at the government palace. His head was then cut off and stuck on a pike as a warning to others.