Independence Eve

Today is the eve of Mexico's Independence Day.
Early in the morning of September 16th, 1810, in the small town of Dolores, a parish priest by the name of Miguel Hidalgo rang the church bell to summon his parishioners.  In an impassioned speech he called upon the people to take arms against the Spanish and to break away from their colonial masters.  His speech became known as the "Grito de Dolores" (the Cry of Dolores), and it marked the beginning of Mexico's struggle for independence.

The bell which Father Hidalgo rang on that fateful morning now hangs over the central doorway of Mexico City's National Palace. 

Each year on September 15th thousands of people gather on the Zócalo, the city's main plaza, in front of the National Palace.  At 11:00 P.M. the President appears on the balcony and gives the "Grito".  It's actually not the "Grito" of Father Hidalgo that the President recites.  He gives a number of "¡Vivas!" (Long live!) naming Hidalgo and the other heroes of the War for Independence.  He concludes with "¡Viva México!" and rings the bell.  The speech that Hidalgo gave included the phrase "Muerte al mal gobierno" (Death to bad government).  Wouldn't it be nice if the President actually governed by those words?

Mexico's current President, Enrique Peña Nieto, is the most unpopular President in recent times.  In opinion polls he had an approval rating of 23%... and that was before his invitation to the even more unpopular Donald Trump. 

My friend Alejandro told me that there has been a campaign to boycott the Independence Eve celebration so that Peña Nieto would give tonight's "Grito" to a nearly empty Zócalo.  However, the government has been paying people from outside the city and shipping them in to fill up the plaza.  So typical of Peña Nieto!

The Cradle of Independence

After spending Saturday night in San Miguel de Allende, on Sunday we drove north to the town of Dolores Hidalgo.  Dolores Hidalgo has been designated by the Mexican Ministry of Tourism as a "Pueblo Mágico" (Magic Town) because of its historic significance.  It was here that that Mexico's War for Independence from Spain began in 1810.

That struggle was led by the parish priest of the town, Father Miguel Hidalgo.

 

Father Hidalgo was not a typical parish priest.  He was an intellectual who spoke numerous languages and studied and admired the philosophers of the Enlightenment.  He questioned many of the doctrines of the Church including the celibacy of priests. (He fathered five children out of wedlock.) He believed in equality for all... even for the downtrodden mestizo and indigenous people.  When he became the priest of the little town of Dolores, he was dismayed by the poverty of most of its population.  He attempted to improve their economic lot by introducing the cultivation of grapes and olives and the raising of silkworms. This went against Spanish colonial policies which protected imports of Spanish products to the New World.

In the early nineteenth century there was growing resentment of Spanish colonial rule.  This resentment even extended to the creolles, the people of Spanish ancestry who were the most educated and prosperous segment of the population.  They resented the fact that they were excluded from all important government positions... those posts were reserved for native-born Spaniards.  The creolles coveted power for themselves.

When Napoleon invaded Spain in 1808, many creolles considered the possibility of breaking free from colonial rule.  Now they could do so without even appearing disloyal to the Spanish monarchy.  Father Hidalgo, even though he was much more liberal and egalitarian than most creolles, was a member of a group that was conspiring to break away from Spain.

On the night of September 15, 1810, a messenger came to Hidalgo's home and told him that the authorities had learned of the plot and were about to arrest the conspirators.  Hidalgo decided that now was the time to strike.  Early on the morning of September 16th, he rang the church bell.  The parishioners gathered at the church, and Hidalgo, in a speech known as "El Grito de Dolores" (The Cry of Dolores), exhorted the townspeople to bring an end to bad government.

The parish church of Dolores, one of Mexico's most revered historic sites.

 

       

Thus began Mexico's War for Independence.  Hidalgo's ragtag army marched across the countryside.  Their numbers grew to more than 100,000, and at first they were victorious.  However, the undisciplined rabble that made up most of Hidalgo's army, scared the creolles, and support for Hidalgo waned.  Within a year after Hidalgo's "Grito", he was captured by the Spanish army and executed.  The struggle for independence dragged on, and finally in 1821, three hundred years of Spanish rule came to an end.

A couple blocks away from the parish church is the house where Father Hidalgo lived.  The building is now a museum and contains the belongings of the hero of independence.

The town square in front of the church has a monument to Father Hidalgo.

After Mexico had won its independence, the name of the town was changed from Dolores to Dolores Hidalgo.