Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla (May 8, 1753–July 30, 1811) is today remembered as the father of his country, the great hero of Mexico’s War for Independence. His position has become cemented in lore, and there are any number of hagiographic biographies available featuring him as their subject.
The truth about Hidalgo is a little more complex. The facts and dates leave no doubt: his was the first serious insurrection on Mexican soil against Spanish authority, and he managed to get quite far with his poorly armed mob. He was a charismatic leader and made a good team with the military man Ignacio Allende despite their mutual hatred.
Legacy
After decades of abusing Creoles and poor Mexicans, there was a vast well of resentment and hatred that Hidalgo was able to tap into: even he seemed surprised by the level of anger released on the Spaniards by his mob. He provided the catalyst for Mexico’s poor to vent their anger on the hated “gachipines” or Spaniards, but his “army” was more like a swarm of locusts, and about as impossible to control.
His questionable leadership also contributed to his downfall. Historians can only wonder what might have happened had Hidalgo pushed into Mexico City in November 1810: history certainly would be different. In this, Hidalgo was too proud or stubborn to listen to the sound military advice offered by Allende and others and press his advantage.
Finally, Hidalgo’s approval of the violent sacking and looting by his forces alienated the group most vital to any independence movement: middle-class and wealthy Creoles like himself. Poor peasants and Indians only had the power to burn, pillage, and destroy: They could not create a new identity for Mexico, one that would allow Mexicans to psychologically break from Spain and craft a national conscience for themselves.
Still, Hidalgo became a great leader: After his death. His timely martyrdom allowed others to pick up the fallen banner of freedom and independence. His influence on later fighters such as José María Morelos, Guadalupe Victoria, and others is considerable. Today, Hidalgo’s remains lie in a Mexico City monument known as “the Angel of Independence” along with other Revolutionary heroes.
