Revolutions Podcast by Mike Duncan - S9: The Mexican Revolution - Episode 2

Summary

The video script narrates the tumultuous journey of Mexico's struggle for independence from Spain, a saga that spanned over a decade and was marked by significant social and political upheavals. It begins with the discontent among various classes in New Spain, leading to the famous 'Grito de Dolores' by Miguel Hidalgo, a cry for revolution that ignited a mass uprising. Despite initial successes, internal conflicts and lack of military experience led to Hidalgo's capture and execution. However, the fight for independence was carried forward by leaders like Jose Maria Morelos and Vicente Guerrero, who continued the rebellion against the odds. The narrative then shifts to the pivotal 'Plan de Iguala', a political agreement that united royalists and rebels under the leadership of Augustin de Iturbide and Guerrero, leading to a unified push for independence. The video concludes with the triumphant entry of the Patriot army into Mexico City and the Declaration of Independence of the Empire of Mexico in 1821, setting the stage for the next chapter of Mexican history filled with internal power struggles and foreign interventions.

Takeaways

• 🧳 The Away carry-on was created by two friends from New York who were inspired by the need for luggage with power, addressing common travel inconveniences like dead phones and sticky wheels.
• 📱 Away luggage features a patent-pending compression system and 360° spinner wheels, as well as the ability to charge devices via USB, offering up to five iPhone charges per single charge of the carry-on.
• 💸 Away offers high-quality materials at a lower price by cutting out the middleman and selling directly to customers, with a wide range of sizes and colors to choose from.
• 🛡️ The suitcases are made with premium German polycarbonate, known for its strength, impact resistance, and lightweight design.
• 📱 Away provides a 100-day free trial, allowing customers to live with and travel with the product before deciding if it's right for them, with a full refund offered if it's not.
• 🔄 Away also offers a lifetime warranty, promising to fix or replace the product for life if anything breaks.
• 🎉 The speaker mentions a future event, a mini book tour for the paperback release of 'The Storm Before the Storm' in October 2018, hinting at using the Away travel bag during this time.
• 💲 Listeners can get a $20 discount on an Away suitcase by visiting Away travel.com/revolutions and using the promo code 'revolutions' at checkout.
• 🎙️ The script transitions from a commercial for Away travel to the main topic of the episode, which is the history of the Viceroyalty of New Spain and the events leading to the Mexican War of Independence.
• ⚔️ The revolution in New Spain was triggered by widespread discontent among various social classes and a series of economic and political factors, including the impact of the Napoleonic Wars and the influence of Enlightenment ideas.
• 🗣️ Miguel Hidalgo, a key figure in the Mexican War of Independence, was a priest with radical political and religious beliefs who called for a mass popular revolt in his famous 'Grito de Dolores' speech.

Q & A

What was the Away carry-on designed to solve?

The Away carry-on was designed to solve problems such as sticky wheels, dead cell phones, and to provide luggage with power sources for charging devices.

What is the significance of the 'Cry of Dolores' in Mexican history?

The 'Cry of Dolores' is a famous speech by Miguel Hidalgo, which marked the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence against Spanish rule.

Why did the economic boom in the Bahia region lead to social unrest?

The economic boom in the Bahia region led to social unrest due to recurrent droughts, famine, and a decline in the mining economy, which resulted in wage cuts, reduced hours, and mass layoffs.

What was the role of Miguel Hidalgo in the early stages of the Mexican War of Independence?

Miguel Hidalgo played a pivotal role as a leader of the early stages of the Mexican War of Independence, rallying the people through his impassioned speech, the 'Cry of Dolores,' and leading the initial revolt against Spanish rule.

How did the events in Spain impact the Viceroyalty of New Spain?

The events in Spain, particularly the abdications of the Bourbon monarchy and the ensuing chaos, led to a movement in New Spain to create provisional ruling juntas composed of local notables, which eventually contributed to the push for independence.

What was the Plan of Iguala and why was it significant?

The Plan of Iguala was a political agreement that established the three guarantees of the Mexican independence movement: the supremacy of the Catholic Church, absolute independence from Spain, and social equality with the abolition of the caste system. It was significant because it united various factions, including conservatives and liberals, under a common goal of independence.

Who were the main leaders of the Mexican War of Independence?

The main leaders of the Mexican War of Independence included Miguel Hidalgo, Ignacio Allende, Jose Maria Morelos, Vicente Guerrero, and later, Agustín de Iturbide.

What was the impact of the mutiny of Cadiz on the Mexican War of Independence?

The mutiny of Cadiz led to a shift in support for the independence movement in Mexico. The event forced King Ferdinand to adopt the liberal constitution of 1812, which in turn led to conservative Criollos and even some Peninsulars in Mexico to support independence to protect their interests against potential liberal reforms from Spain.

Why did the conservative leadership of New Spain initially oppose the independence movement?

The conservative leadership of New Spain initially opposed the independence movement because they feared that the liberal leadership in Spain would undermine the authority of the church, their traditional systems of power, and disrupt the social hierarchy and private property rights.

What was the significance of the Treaty of Córdoba in the context of the Mexican War of Independence?

The Treaty of Córdoba was significant as it recognized the framework of the Plan of Iguala and promised no resistance when the Army of the Three Guarantees approached Mexico City, effectively paving the way for the formal declaration of independence of the Empire of Mexico.

How did the death of José María Morelos affect the independence movement?

The death of José María Morelos was a major blow to the independence movement as he was a key leader and a symbol of resistance against Spanish rule. However, his death also led to the rise of Vicente Guerrero, who took over as commander-in-chief of the rebel forces and continued the fight for independence.

Outlines

00:00

🎒 The Birth of Away Luggage and the Cry of Dolores

The video begins with a sponsorship message about Away luggage, highlighting its founders, features, and customer satisfaction guarantees. It transitions into the historical narrative of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, discussing the social unrest and the conditions leading up to the Mexican fight for independence. The episode sets the stage for the revolution against Spanish rule, focusing on the events that unfolded in the early 19th century.

05:01

🏺 The Economic Boom and Bust in the Bahia Region

This paragraph delves into the economic history of the Bahia region in New Spain, detailing the silver mining boom and subsequent bust. It discusses the social and economic impact on the region's inhabitants, including the influx of migrants, recurring famines, and the shift from independent operators to wage laborers. The paragraph also touches on the broader economic downturn and its effects on various social strata, from peasants to the wealthy, leading to a growing sentiment of discontent and the desire for independence.

10:03

📜 The Revolutionary Aspirations and the Influence of Enlightenment

The third paragraph introduces the key figures of the Mexican independence movement, including Miguel Hidalgo, a priest with radical ideas influenced by the Enlightenment. It outlines Hidalgo's background, his progressive actions in Dolores, and his involvement in the conspiracy against the Spanish government. The narrative also explores the varying aspirations of the conspirators, from those seeking political and economic independence to others advocating for a complete social overhaul, inspired by the French Revolution.

15:03

📢 The Cry of Dolores and the Outbreak of the Independence Movement

This section narrates the famous event known as the Cry of Dolores, where Hidalgo called for a mass revolt against the Spanish colonial government. It describes the rapid growth of the revolutionary army, the capture of key cities, and the adoption of symbols and slogans by the rebels. The narrative also highlights the internal conflicts within the revolutionary leadership due to the massacre at Guanajuato and Hidalgo's issuance of an Emancipation Proclamation.

20:05

🛡️ The Struggle for Mexico City and Hidalgo's Retreat

The focus shifts to the military campaign led by Hidalgo and the challenges faced by the Viceroy in organizing a defense. It details the confrontation at Monte de las Cruces, the subsequent retreat of Hidalgo's forces, and the speculation surrounding Hidalgo's decision not to press on to Mexico City. The paragraph also discusses the decline in momentum and numbers within the revolutionary forces and the splintering of the leadership.

25:07

⚔️ The Betrayal, Capture, and Execution of the Revolutionaries

This paragraph recounts the betrayal of the revolutionary leaders, their capture, and subsequent execution. It describes the trials in Coahuila, the execution of Ignacio Allende and Juan Aldama, and the separate execution of Hidalgo. The narrative also mentions the display of the leaders' heads as a deterrent to future rebellions and the temporary relief experienced by the Viceroy in Mexico City.

30:09

🔥 The Persistence of the Independence War and the Rise of New Leaders

Despite the initial setbacks, the fight for independence continues with the emergence of new leaders like Ignacio Lopez Rayon and Jose Maria Morelos. The paragraph details the continued resistance, the establishment of a Congress in Anahuac, and the drafting of a new constitution. It also introduces Vicente Guerrero and his role in the southern campaigns, emphasizing the ongoing struggle and the resilience of the independence movement.

35:09

🏛️ The Congress of Anahuac and the Shifting Tides of War

The narrative moves to the Congress of Anahuac, which aimed to unify the rebellion under a central authority. It discusses the Congress's efforts to declare independence and draft a constitution for the newly named Mexico. However, the tide turns against the rebels with the rise of new Spanish leaders and the execution of Morelos. The Congress eventually disbands, and the independence movement faces significant challenges.

40:10

🛤️ The Road to Independence: From Conservative Support to the Plan of Iguala

The final paragraphs describe the changing political landscape in Spain and its impact on New Spain. It outlines the appointment of a new Viceroy, the mutiny of Cadiz, and the shift in loyalties among the conservative Criollo and peninsular leaders. The narrative culminates in the alliance between Iturbide and Guerrero, the formulation of the Plan of Iguala, and the eventual recognition of Mexican independence, setting the stage for the country's future struggles and relations with foreign powers.

45:12

🏙️ The Entry into Mexico City and the Declaration of Independence

The video concludes with the triumphant entry of the Patriot army into Mexico City, marking the end of the war for independence. It mentions the issuance of a Declaration of Independence that solidified the Empire of Mexico. The summary hints at the upcoming discussion on the post-independence challenges, including internal conflicts, foreign interventions, and the rise of figures like Porfirio Diaz.

Keywords

💡Criollo

The term 'Criollo' refers to people of Spanish descent born in the Americas during the colonial period. In the context of the video, Criollo leaders in New Spain were seeking more political representation and were part of the movement towards independence, reflecting the broader discontent with the Viceroyalty of New Spain's governance.

💡Viceroyalty of New Spain

The Viceroyalty of New Spain was a colonial territory of the Spanish Empire in the Americas, comprising modern-day Mexico, Central America, and parts of the United States. The video discusses the growing resentment and desire for independence from this colonial power, which is a central theme in the Mexican War of Independence.

💡Independence Movement

The Independence Movement in the video refers to the series of events and uprisings against Spanish rule in New Spain. It was driven by various social classes, including Criollo elites, peasants, and indigenous people, all of whom were dissatisfied with the existing colonial administration. The movement eventually led to the formation of an independent Mexico.

💡Father Miguel Hidalgo

Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla was a Mexican priest and leader of the most famous push for independence against Spanish rule, known for his impassioned 'Grito de Dolores' (Cry of Dolores). His role is pivotal in the video as he is depicted as a key instigator of the mass revolt that would later evolve into the Mexican War of Independence.

💡Grito de Dolores

The 'Grito de Dolores,' or Cry of Dolores, was a call to action by Father Miguel Hidalgo in 1810, which is highlighted in the video as a seminal moment that ignited the mass popular revolt against Spanish rule. It is considered the starting point of the Mexican War of Independence.

💡Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe is a significant religious and cultural symbol for the Mexican people. In the video, she is adopted as a symbol by the rebels during the Mexican War of Independence, representing a fusion of religious faith and nationalistic fervor, which helped to galvanize support for the independence cause.

💡Caste System

The Caste System in colonial Spanish America was a complex social hierarchy based on race and ancestry. The video discusses how this system was a source of resentment and inequality, with many of the independence leaders, like Hidalgo and Morelos, advocating for its abolition as part of a broader push for social justice and equality.

💡Jose Maria Morelos

Jose Maria Morelos was a key figure in the Mexican War of Independence, continuing the fight for independence after Hidalgo's execution. The video portrays Morelos as a capable military leader and a proponent of Enlightenment ideas, who played a significant role in advancing the independence movement, particularly in the south of Mexico.

💡Vicente Guerrero

Vicente Guerrero was another prominent leader in the Mexican War of Independence, who took over the rebel forces after Morelos's execution. The video describes Guerrero as a reliable officer in Morelos's army and later as a commander-in-chief who continued the struggle for independence, reflecting the perseverance of the independence movement despite significant setbacks.

💡Plan de Iguala

The Plan de Iguala was a political document that emerged from the alliance between conservative royalist Agustin de Iturbide and the republican insurgent Vicente Guerrero. The video outlines the three guarantees of the plan: the supremacy of the Catholic Church, absolute independence, and social equality, which helped to unify various factions in the push for Mexican independence.

💡Treaty of Cordoba

The Treaty of Cordoba, as mentioned in the video, was an agreement signed in 1821 that recognized the framework of the Plan de Iguala and paved the way for the Army of the Three Guarantees to approach Mexico City without resistance. This treaty is significant as it marked a major step towards the formal recognition of Mexico's independence from Spain.

Highlights

Away was founded by two friends from New York who created luggage with power to solve common travel problems.

The Away carry-on was designed after extensive research on packing habits and common luggage issues.

Away uses premium German polycarbonate for its suitcases, offering strength, impact resistance, and light weight.

The Away suitcases feature a patent-pending compression system, beneficial for overpackers.

360° spinner wheels ensure a smooth ride for all Away luggage.

Away carry-on luggage can charge all cell phones, tablets, e-readers, and devices powered by a USB cord.

A single charge of the Away carry-on provides enough power to charge an iPhone five times.

Customers can try Away luggage with a hundred-day free trial and return it for a full refund if not satisfied.

Away offers a lifetime warranty, fixing or replacing any broken luggage for life.

The Cry of Dolores marked the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence led by Miguel Hidalgo.

Hidalgo's speech at Dolores rallied peasants, workers, and villagers against the vice-regal government.

The revolution led by Hidalgo and others was influenced by both the American and French Revolutions.

Hidalgo's army grew rapidly, but lacked military training and proper weapons.

The symbol of the revolution became Our Lady of Guadalupe, representing religious and national identity.

Hidalgo issued the first Emancipation Proclamation in independent Mexico, forbidding slavery.

After a series of victories and defeats, Hidalgo was eventually captured and executed.

José María Morelos and Vicente Guerrero emerged as leaders in the continued fight for Mexican independence.

The Congress of Anahuac produced a new Constitution and a Solemn Declaration of Independence for Mexico.

Despite initial successes, the rebellion faced major setbacks, including the execution of key leaders.

The Plan of Iguala, with its three guarantees, united various factions and led to the final push for independence.

The Treaty of Córdoba and the subsequent entry of the Army of the Three Guarantees into Mexico City marked the end of the war.

Transcripts

this week's episode is brought to you by

a way a way was founded by two friends

from New York who found themselves at

JFK with dead phones delayed flights and

a bright idea luggage with power thus

the away carry-on was born after asking

thousands of people how they packed why

they travel and what bugs them most

about their luggage they designed a bag

that solved a few old problems like

sticky wheels and a few new ones too

like dead cell phones away uses high

quality materials while offering a much

lower price compared to other brands by

cutting out the middleman and selling

directly to you

you can choose from nine colors and four

sizes the carry-on the beggar carry-on

the medium and the large all the

suitcases are made with premium German

polycarbonate unrivaled in strength and

impact resistance and also very light

weight the interior features a

patent-pending compression system which

is very helpful for over packers it also

has four 360° spinner wheels which

guarantee a smooth ride now both sizes

of the carry-on are also able to charge

all cell phones tablets e-readers and

anything else powered by a USB cord a

single charge of the way carry-on will

charge your iPhone five times there's

also a hundred day free trial you can

live with it travel with it Instagram it

and if at any point you decide it's not

for you you can return it for a full

refund no questions asked there's also a

lifetime warranty so if anything breaks

they will fix it or replace it for you

for life

now I remain very happy with my away

travel bag and to hint at future cool

things to come for those of you who do

in fact listen to these advertisements I

will probably be using it when I return

home to the United States for another

little mini book tour

when the paperback version of the storm

before the storm comes out in October of

2018 so when you are done with this

episode get $20 off a suitcase and visit

Away travel.com slash revolutions and

use the promo code revolutions during

checkout that again away travel.com

slash revolutions and use the promo code

revolutions

hello and welcome to revolutions episode

9.2 the cry of Dolores last week we did

a broad survey of the Viceroyalty of New

Spain and as we approach the end of the

episode and approach the abdications of

biown we noted that there was a lot of

discontentment resentment and anger

among all classes and casts about the

state of the Viceroyalty of New Spain

well today we are gonna take all that

discontentment resentment and anger and

use it to blow up the Viceroyalty of New

Spain and turned it into independent

Mexico now this is going to be a

necessarily truncated version of events

we are going to do in one single episode

would it took more than 20 episodes for

me to do down in South America but we

have places to go in things to see in

the 20th century so let's just go ahead

and knock this sucker out unfortunately

for us I spent a lot of time in episode

5.6 describing the crucial events back

in Spain that led to the abdications of

biown and the collapse of the Bourbon

monarchy in 1808 and in episode 5.6 I

also talked about the impact of the

forced abdications in the Americas and I

touched actually on what happened in New

Spain I think that was the last time I

spent more than a line or two on events

in what became Mexico knowing full well

that eventually I would be able to come

back to it but just a briefly review as

in other major cities in both Spain and

the Americas the capture of the Bourbon

monarchy led to a movement to create

provisional ruling hunters made up of

local notables until the crisis passed

so the Criollo leaders in New Spain

pressured the viceroy to go along with a

plan to convene an assembly of the best

families in new spain and for the first

time in a century allow Criollo voices

into government now surprisingly the

viceroy was prepared to go along with

this plan which freaked out the

conservative peninsulares letters in the

city who not implausibly saw such a Huna

as the first step towards independence

so in September of 1808 the conservative

leaders staged a coup they arrested the

Viceroy and his prince

we'll Criollo allies and installed an

eighty-year-old general as the new

Viceroy as chaos reign back in europe

and rebellions exploded all over South

America the Conservatives in Mexico City

were mostly successful at holding

revolution at bay in New Spain for the

next two years the 80 year old general

was replaced by the Archbishop of Mexico

City who had been in on the coup the

previous year the archbishop would then

stay in office until he was replaced in

September of 1810 by a career army

officer named Francisco Javier Vargas

who had spent the previous two years

distinguishing himself in the Peninsular

war and he was now being sent across the

Atlantic to make sure Spain held on to

its American possessions Vargas had the

good fortune to arrive in Mexico City

after a very long journey on September

the 14th 1810 literally the day before

the long forestalled revolution exploded

now that revolution exploded in one

particular part of New Spain the bahia

the Bahia is that wider region north of

Mexico City that was rich in silver it

had become the heart of the Bourbon push

to revitalize the economy of New Spain

and as we discussed last week wealthy

peninsulares and Criollo were encouraged

to make major investments to increase

the amount of silver that was being

mined as well as enlarge and diversify

the aussi n des that supported them what

followed in the bahia was a century-long

economic boom that lasted from about

1700 to about 1800 this mining boom

caused a massive influx of migrants into

the region men who were looking for work

either in the mines or on the aussi n

des but unfortunately there was a reason

that this area had never been heavily

settled before this the land wasn't that

great and it was susceptible to repeated

droughts near the end of the 1700s there

were simply too many mouths to feed and

famine became a recurrent problem

especially during major droughts in 1777

1792 and 1799 tenant and small farmers

were hit particularly hard during these

times and they were just squeezed out by

the larger Aussie Enda so by 1800 nearly

every independent operator had been

turned into a mere wage-labour the

region would also find itself in trouble

every time a mine would shut down or

there would be a flood that wrecked

equipment or a vein was tapped dry this

would lead to slash wages reduced hours

and mass layoffs in those times you

would wind up with a lot of young men

just sort of hanging around which as we

know going back to the very first

episodes of the revolutions podcast is

never a good thing

these recurrent problems could be

absorbed as long as the mining boom went

on and workers could eventually find new

jobs but after 1800 the mining economy

went into a decade-long slump that

actually saw silver output not just slow

down but actually decline year-over-year

now the slump was partly the result of

simply running into the limit of

expansion but it was also impacted by

events back in Europe where the French

Revolutionary Wars are now moving on

into the Napoleonic Wars the global

economic uncertainty combined with

natural declines and output to create

cycles of layoffs and famine and

displacement among the population of the

Biagio that now had nowhere else to go

this is the place they called home and

it wasn't just the wage workers who were

being hit hard

manufacturers local suppliers traders

shopkeepers they were all pummeled by

this prolonged recession and all of them

started to rally around the idea that

sinister peninsular a agents and

absentee landlords in Mexico City were

at least partly to blame for this

economic crisis but even the absentee

landlords in Mexico City were getting

pretty furious thanks to the very

provocative act of consolidation that

had been decreed by the Spanish

government in 1804 the idea here was to

more fully control the national wealth

by ordering the Catholic Church to

deposit all of their riches with the

crown who would then pay the church an

annual dividend on their deposit the

problem was that in New Spain the church

had acted as the principal mortgage

lender for all of these huge investments

that the Bourbons had been encouraging

the act of consolidation meant that the

church was now going to call in all

these loans and some of them were on 20

or 30-year terms this would cause

nothing less than financial ruin for

major mine owners

Osen Tatas and large merchants so by the

beginning of 1808 and you had a pyramid

of anger building from the peasant

farmers and wage workers and indigenous

villagers all the way up to the richest

Criollo landlords and all of them were

coming around on the idea that there was

something deeply rotten about the

vice-regal government after news arrived

in the B he loved the abdications of

biown grumbling turned into active

planning to break away from Spain and

declare independence the center of this

brewing conspiracy in the bahia was the

city of Quetta taro where the mayor

miguel Dominguez and his wife

Josefa Ortiz did amigas were both active

sympathizers meeting under the cover of

liberal society gatherings they brought

together lawyers priests businessmen and

army officers and these disaffected men

and women would share their grievances

and then they would start to share their

plans among this group was Ignacio I end

a captain in the cavalry who came from a

prominent local family currently being

hit hard by the economic recession he

was joined by Juan Aldama who was also

the scion of a prominent local family

suffering economic distress both of them

represented the bitterness of the

Criollo for not having any kind of voice

in government and these guys looked at

the example of the United States for

inspiration they wanted political and

economic independence from Europe and

they wanted the commercial wealth and

power that would surely come with that

independence they supported equality

insofar as they were angry that Criollo

like themselves were barred from serving

in government but they also admired the

fact that the founding fathers of the

United States were able to prosecute a

political revolution while holding the

forces of social revolution at bay but

there were among these conspirators

those who had more expansive and

ambitious plans and who drew their

inspiration not from the American

Revolution but from the French

Revolution they wanted to overturn the

caste system they wanted to dump the

aristocracy they wanted to assure in

social justice they wanted to break up

the assi endows in the church land and

distribute them equitably to the people

they wanted to abolish slavery and any

vestiges of indigenous tribal

tribute which brings us to the man in

the room who wanted all of that and more

father II dog Oh Miguel Hidalgo Y

Costilla was born in 1753 he was the

kre-o yo son of a prominent and

well-respected family though his father

was a hacienda manager rather than a

major landlord so the family wasn't at

the very top of the caste system which

actually influenced heed all gos outlook

on life he grew up on the periphery of

New Spain he interacted with mestizo and

indigenous workers he learned native

languages and customs and knew how these

people lived and worked the family was

rich enough though that Miguel got a

top-flight education and after entering

seminary he graduated in 1773 with a

degree in both philosophy and theology

by this point the dalgo had displayed a

brightness and intelligence that was

both promising and concerning when he

was spoken of in the higher ranks of the

church ordained a priest in 1778 at the

age of 25 Hidalgo stayed in academia he

joined the faculty of the collegio de

San Nicolas Obispo eventually rising to

be appointed dean of the college in 1790

now the Inquisition was still alive and

well and on patrol for seditious and

heretical ideas but as a priest

specializing in theology and philosophy

Hidalgo was one of the select few who

was legally allowed to read the latest

enlightenment tracks tracks everyone

else was forbidden to even possess no

ostensibly this is so the ideas could be

refuted but it's pretty clear Hidalgo

was doing more spreading of these ideas

than he was refuting them this led to

problems with higher-ups in 1792 a dog

lost his position at the college partly

for altering the curriculum and partly

after being accused of financial

improprieties he was shuffled around

from post to post until his brother who

was also a priest died in 1802 Hidalgo

took over his brothers responsibilities

in the city of Dolores Hidalgo was never

much interested in the tending to souls

part of his job so he handed most of

those responsibilities off to a

subordinate

he focused his attention on business

pursuits on intellectual investigations

and philanthropic activities as a

secular priest Hidalgo had never taken

the vow of poverty so he owned three

Aussie and as himself and was quite

adept at turning a profit but as a

member of the clergy he had taken a vow

of chastity though that did not stop him

from maintaining several long-term

relationships and fathering at least

seven children oh by now he had

developed strongly heretical beliefs

both political and religious he dalgo

opposed the absolute monarchy and he

despised ignorant superstition but most

acutely he developed a real sense of

egalitarian goodwill though he had no

interest in tending to his flock by

delivering a weekly Mass or hearing

confession he did tend to his flock by

actively encouraging economic prosperity

and social equality for the people of

Dolores he introduced new crops and

techniques to the area with the ultimate

intention of making the land more

profitable and the villagers earning a

measure of independent self-respect now

this was mostly tolerated by the

authorities until a dalgo started

showing them how to grow grapes and

olives crops that were specifically

prohibited so as not to compete with

Monopoly imports from Spain so on top of

these economic and social reforms a

doggo also became a big advocate for

political reform radical political

reform he was an active participant in

the revolutionary conspiracies of the

bahia attending hosting and guiding many

of their discussions though until the

moment that he kick-started the

revolution he was really just one

conspirator among many he was not yet

the leader that he would be seen as

later so by the fall of 1810 these

revolutionary discussions have created a

political alliance composed of minor

political officials army officers

lawyers factory owners shopkeepers and

like a doggo priests who believed that

they could probably mobilize the

displaced peasants and unemployed mind

workers and villagers angry about land

use sir patient into a force that could

collectively seize control of New Spain

they were far enough along in their

planning that they even set a date for

their revolution a date would be in

December of 1810 and they had sent

agents up to the United States to secure

munitions and financial support for this

coming revolution but this plan was up

ended in September of 1810 when Josefa

Dominguez learned that they had been

discovered government agents came and

alerted her husband that they were onto

a major cabal of revolutionaries not

realizing that she herself Josefa the

wife of the mayor was in particular

deeply involved in this conspiracy

sohe Safa managed to get a messenger up

to dolores to warn Hidalgo and the other

leaders who were with him not bothering

to think things through too much

Hidalgo ordered the church bells rung to

gather his congregation those who did

gather after midnight in the wee hours

of September the 16th 1810 were treated

to an impassioned speech by a doggo

calling for them to join in a mass

popular revolt this is easily the most

famous speech in Mexican history it's

called the goody toda dolores or the cry

of dolores unfortunately however the

speech was not recorded word-for-word so

we just know the gist of what a doggo

said but basically he called on them to

overthrow 300 years of oppression to

reclaim the land that had been stolen

from them to destroy the evil

politicians and bad government who ruled

over them God and history we're now

calling on the people to play their part

and they must play their part the cry of

Dolores landed with an electric bang and

the next morning a dalgo gave a repeat

performance near the market with similar

energetic results men and women who had

been holding long simmering resentments

were finally being told it's okay to go

crazy soon

600 to 800 volunteers joined what had

once been a very small conspiracy with

Hidalgo now clearly the face of the

rebellion they all marched together out

of Dolores in the direction of the

regional capital of Guanajuato once

sparked revolutionary fire in the Bahia

spread rapidly

whatever village or town had all goes

army passed through and it was becoming

Hidalgo's

even though II dalgo had no military

experience whatsoever they picked up new

recruits and attacked peninsulares and

their property when they captured the

city of Celaya on September the 21st

they were five thousand strong a week

later as they approached Guanajuato they

were reportedly 30,000 strong but they

were not trained at all and they had no

real weapons we're talking sticks and

rocks and machetes what they had though

was a belief that they were engaged in

some kind of Messianic uprising that

would expel sacrilegious peninsulares a

lot of them believe that they were

fighting for the King against his bad

councilors they had no idea actually

that they were engaged in a movement for

independence so the rebels carried

hastily made banners that spoke to this

message that Hidalgo and the other

leaders were focused on was long live

religion long live America death to bad

government they adopted as their symbol

our most holy mother of Guadalupe then

yes I know I botched it last week I said

waddle loop not Guadalupe blame that on

a three and a half years I lived in

Austin anyway when they all got to

Guanajuato the small circle of

peninsular administrators and the

Criollo allies that they still had

barricaded themselves inside a granary

and they held out for two days but

eventually the crush of the rebels was

simply too great the granary was stormed

and over five hundred people were killed

including women and children

now this Massacre caused problems in the

rebel leadership because this is not

what the more elite Criollo rebels had

signed up for peasants massacring their

social superiors that is not what we are

supposed to be doing but after so bloody

taking Guanajuato the army kept marching

and it kept growing

they were now widely seen as totally out

of control they're feeding themselves by

forced requisitioning or stripping

fields clean for food by now most other

Criollo in new spain were siding with

the vice-regal authorities yes they had

their resentments and yes they wanted

independence but this seemed like just a

mob of barbaric peasants and in the

midst of all this a dog Oh issued his

first Emancipation Proclamation

forbidding slavery and independent

Mexico and though as I said slavery

wasn't

huge thing in New Spain slaves were used

as household staff in prominent families

mostly as status symbols so the threat

to the social order represented by

Hidalgo's army was very real and very

frightening meanwhile in Mexico City the

new Viceroy Javier Vargas who had been

on the job for exactly one day before

the Revolution broke out was now trying

to scramble a defense of the city the

vice-regal forces had not been very well

run these past few hundred years they

were not very well organized and they

were dispersed way away from the capital

anyway so a Vargas could only muster a

couple of thousand men to go out and try

to do anything about this flood of

humanity now sixty maybe eighty thousand

people strong the largest force that

could be mustered on the vice-regal side

was just a couple of thousand men I've

seen numbers as low as 1,200 and as high

as 7,000 but they rode out to meet

Hidalgo's army and at monte de las

cruces on October the 30th 1810 the

rebels and the vice-regal forces met in

battle the rebels took heavy casualties

they were as I said not well trained or

armed but the numbers alone made their

defeat practically impossible so they

were not defeated the vice-regal forces

were treated back to mexico city and the

road to the capital was now wide open so

that brings us to the most consequential

and controversial moment of the whole

struggle for mexican independence father

a doggo appears to have flinched rather

than pushing on to mexico city

Hidalgo ordered the army to halt and

retreat west toward Guadalajara

now there has never to my knowledge been

a definitive explanation for why he

decided to do this I end day for example

was pulling his hair out trying to get a

doll go to listen to reason

he was saying we have to go take the

capital now before the vice-regal forces

can regroup but a doggo stubbornly

refused so the army halted and retreated

and the most common speculation is that

having witnessed the behavior of the

rebel army for the past few weeks that a

doggo believed storming into mexico city

would simply be the beginning of mass

water and destruction but whatever the

reason the Army did retreat Mexico City

was spared and the war for independence

which might have been one right there

and then would go on for another 11

tortuous years the retreat had an

immediate impact on the revolution

peasant rebellions run on momentum and

it all go had just killed the momentum

soon the numbers in the army were down

to 40,000 possibly half of what they had

claimed just maybe a week earlier then

the leadership started to splinter with

different leaders leading different

groups in different directions

Hidalgo himself wound up in Guadalajara

with only about 7,000 men upon arrival

though he attempted to start up a

provisional Revolutionary Government

with himself as the self-proclaimed

autocrat he set up a little ministry

with his personal secretary

a guy named Ignacio Lopez rayon he's

going to be important here in a second

as Secretary of State but as I end a

predicted the pause in the action

allowed the vice-regal forces to her

group certainly it allowed the best and

most vigorous general in the vice-regal

army guy named Felix Maria Chaya to

organize a 6,000 man army and March them

south from where they had been stationed

up in San Luis Potosi but he dalgo

himself was busy trying to recapture the

momentum the area around Guadalajara had

faced many of the same difficulties as

the bahia and so though the initial rush

of volunteers had mostly been killed or

deserted Hidalgo found many new recruits

to the cause and soon he was leading a

force tens of thousands strong again but

this rebellion came to an abrupt end

just after New Year's in 1811 in early

January Kyah came with his 6,000 men and

he approached it all goes position at

the bridge on the Khalid Rhone River On

January the 17th 1811 the two sides met

in battle and though the rebels still

had a massive numerical advantage this

time they were broken to pieces

kaya's men were way better armed and way

more disciplined and an explosion of a

grenade inside the ranks

a dog goes army cause so much fear and

confusion the battle quickly turned into

a rout in the wake of this debacle the

leadership of the rebellion gathered and

decided to strip a dog O of his military

responsibilities he would be kept on as

a figurehead and a political leader but

he would have nothing more to do with

the tactics and strategy involved in

actually running a war which were all

transferred over to IND now had he had

the time I end day had a plan to pursue

a campaign built around a more compact

but better trained army rather than

these huge mobs of reckless peasants

that hey dog Oh had gathered but I on

day never really got the chance to do

anything the core group of original

leaders among them father Hidalgo IND

and Aldama

decided to abandon their position in

central Mexico and make their way to the

far north if they could make it to the

United States they might find allies and

guns and money I mean that's what they

had been after before the cry of Dolores

had prematurely set the revolution in

motion so they headed north but they

never got to the United States a

disgruntled rebel I believe annoyed that

he had been passed over for a promotion

decided to betray his former comrades

when the party reached the wells of

bahan in the state of Kokila the trader

alerted the vice-regal authorities and

all the rebel leaders were arrested they

were not even transported back to Mexico

City for their trial instead right there

in Coahuila they were tried and found

guilty of treason I end day and Aldama

and most of the rest of the party were

executed on June the 26th 1811 and they

were shot in the back to purposefully

dishonor them father Hidalgo meanwhile

was defrocked found guilty and executed

separately on July the 30th 1811 the

heads of the rebel leaders were then cut

off and posted on the walls of

Guanajuato as a warning to anybody

contemplating anything like this ever

again

down in Mexico City everyone could

breathe a little bit easier the war for

Mexican Independence was now over except

haha no it's not

that Secretary of State Ignacio Lopez

rayon had not been with the party

heading north

he had instead stayed behind in the

South with a force of about 3,500 men

when he heard that a doggo and the

others had been captured he pointed this

small army south and between March and

July 18 11 he fought a series of

skirmishes and battles and defeated the

vice-regal forces almost every time he

faced them and then down in south

central Mexico reown opened a whole new

front in the war the original rebellion

had erupted from the Bahia

the war would now be carried on in the

south in what is today the Mexican

states of Morelos and Guerrera which of

course weren't called that yet because

the men who gave them those names are

only just now emerging onto the scene

like like right now so let's meet Jose

Maria Morelos and Vicente Guerrero Jose

Maria Morelos was born in 1765 in the

Bahia specifically in a city that was

then called via do lead but which is

today called Morelia because well Jose

Maria Morelos was born there in 1765

though he was classified as Criollo on

his birth record

Moreno's was probably a mestizo and his

family was of pretty modest means his

father was a carpenter and Morales

himself started working as a mule tear

before transitioning into being a tenant

farmer but he was pretty smart and

apparently wanted to better himself so

in 1789 he went off to the local college

which just so happened to be the Colegio

de San Nicolas Obispo where father a

doggo taught and was about to become

dean Morelos graduated and was ordained

as a priest though like Hidalgo he was a

secular priests and not bound by any law

of poverty but also like a dog oh he was

bound by a vow of chastity which he

ignored engaging in several long-term

relationships that produced a couple of

children for a loss then spent the next

decade and a half in mostly prosperous

obscurity but when he learned in October

of 1810 that his old schoolmaster had

launched a rebellion morales was

inspired to join now it's clear he was

steeped in the same Enlightenment ideas

as a doggo Morelos was a straight-up

he hated the racial caste system he was

an abolitionist he advocated justice for

the peasants and for the redistribution

of land from rich to poor especially

believing in breaking up and parceling

out church lands after joining the

rebellion in October of 1810 Barrios

displayed an intuitive knack for

soldiering and he was a natural and

charismatic leader when all the original

leaders of the revolution were executed

in the summer of 89

Morales moved south and gathered up a

small army of loyal rebels this small

army never more than five or six

thousand men at any given time would

spend the next four years driving the

vice-regal forces out of south central

Mexico joining Morel OSes force is the

other guy we need to bring into this and

that's 31 year old Vicente Guerrero born

in 1782 about a hundred miles inland

from Acapulco Guerrero was the son of a

mestizo father any mulatto mother

so Guerrero was a dark-skinned mix of

all the ethnic groups of New Spain his

father was a mule tear and Guerrero

spent his youth working his father's

mule trains traveling all over the

Viceroyalty and picking up new ideas and

contacts wherever he went

for obvious reasons he too wound up

hating the caste system and believed

that the entire vice-regal apparatus was

simply one giant exercise in tyranny now

Guerrero did not join a dog OHS army but

when Morelos moved south and started

recruiting Guerrero was one of the first

to join up and he would soon prove to be

one of the most reliable officers in

Morelos his army and as we will see in a

moment it will ultimately be Guerrero

not Morales who will be the one marching

triumphantly into Mexico City at the end

of the war with scattered armies of

rebels now operating successfully in the

south Ignacio Lopez Rhian did his best

to bring some kind of central

coordination to the very uncoordinated

campaigns being waged so in August of

1811 Brown invited Morales and a few

other prominent leaders to join what

would be called the Hunta de Sita croire

named after the city where they first

met in which I almost certainly just

mispronounced motor I lost agreed that a

Central

while committee was a good idea but he

never actually met with the hunting

himself he only ever sent a subordinate

to represent him this hunter was pretty

ineffective anyway and during the

duration of their existence most

commanders in the field most of the time

just sort of did whatever they wanted

Morello certainly did but it was hard to

argue with his success because over the

next few years he was uniformly

successful Morelos fought an endless

series of skirmishes and battles and

sieges and counter sieges that allowed

the rebels to claim to facto political

control over much of south-central

Mexico in November of 1812 Marlowe's

captured Oaxaca City which is a very big

deal and then in April of 1813 he

delivered the even more dramatic blow he

captured the port of Acapulco by the

summer of 1813 there was a justifiable

belief among the rebels that they were

on their way - slowly but surely

squeezing the Viceroyalty of New Spain

right off the map motor losses success

led to the second big attempt to unify

the rebellion under Morelos as auspices

delegates from various revolutionary

factions gathered in Japan single in

September of 1813 for a congress that

was called you guessed it the Congress

of Japan Zingo this Congress was tasked

with the dual mandate to declare

independence and to draft a new

constitution to help guide their

deliberations more English presented

them with what he dubbed the sentiments

of the nation a document that listed the

sentiments of the nation at least

according to Marlowe's it called for

full and complete American independence

the supremacy of the Catholic Church and

all things religious popular sovereignty

rather than the Divine Right of Kings

the division of political power regular

democratic elections the rule of law and

the N - all distinctions privileges and

burdens wrapped up in the caste system

having delivered these sentiments

Morelos went back to warm and the

Congress deliberated finally producing

in November of 1813 both the solemn

declaration of independence of northern

America and a new constitution for that

independent Northam

erricka that was now not necessarily for

the first time but certainly for the

first official time being called Mexico

but the solemn declaration and the new

constitution were dead on arrival

because almost as soon as they were

promulgated at the end of 1813 the tide

started to turn against the rebellion

and against Vardalos general Chaya was

promoted to vice room and the point man

for the counterinsurgency in the South

became a Criollo career army officer

named Augustine enter pide now at this

point it rabii day was already known as

the Iron Dragon and he had a reputation

for being totally committed to the

ruthless extermination of this rebellion

and also having the skill to exterminate

it morales meanwhile was trying to wage

his own offensive campaigns defend

territories that he had already

liberated and protect this new civilian

congress mo de los started to lose

ground on all fronts through 1814 and

1815 and the congress was bounced from

city to city never able to stay in one

place for long then in november of 1814

Morelos was leading his men in a minor

skirmish to buy the civilian congress

time to get away once again when he was

captured the now imprisoned Morales was

convicted of every civil and religious

crime known to man and he was executed

on December the 22nd 1815 up in Mexico

City Viceroy kiyah could breathe a deep

sigh of relief with this great and

stubborn thorn Morelos now dead

surely the war for Mexican Independence

was finally over but haha of course it's

not murder a loss his most capable

subordinate Vicente Guerrero took over

as commander-in-chief of the rebel

forces but these forces dwindled by the

day the victories of the vice-regal

armies and the death of Morelos were

major blows to rebel morale the civilian

Congress attempted to exert its central

authority but they were simply ignored

by the remaining commanders in the field

and the Congress wound up simply

disbanding taking their solemn

declaration of independence and their

enlightened Constitution with them

into the dustbin of history the line

between rebel army and bandit gang was

now getting blurred into irrelevance and

the difference between a guerrilla

campaign and just robbing and pillaging

ceased to have any real functional

meaning meanwhile events back in Europe

had taken what you might call a major

turn in 1815 remember Napoleon has

finally been defeated and the Bourbon

King Ferdinand the seventh the desired

one was finally returned to the Spanish

throne this watershed of peace and

restoration in old Spain coupled with

the death of Morelos and the near

disbanding of the rebellion in New Spain

really made it feel like the Spanish

Empire was going to continue intact in

perpetuity to change with these new

times the restored monarchy appointed a

new Viceroy this time a career naval

officer named Juan Ruiz de Apodaca he

arrived in Mexico City in September of

1816 and he represented a real change in

strategy plenty of complaints had

filtered back across the Atlantic that

the harsh tactics the scorched earth

campaigning the summary execution of

prisoners had prolonged a rebellion

rather than hastened its demise

so apodaca came in with a lighter touch

he offered amnesty to all rebels who

laid down their arms those who remained

under arms but were captured were not to

just be summarily executed something

resembling the rule of law was going to

be restored and after more than five

years of fighting and the monarchy and

vice-regal structure now seemingly

stronger than ever

almost everyone took the Viceroy up on

his clemency by the end of 1817 only

Vicente Guerrero and a small army of

hardcore Patriots refused to come in

from the cold maintaining a small force

of loyal rebels up in the mountains of

what is called today for reasons you

could probably guess the Mexican state

of Guerrero for three years Guerrero and

his men looked like the deadest part of

a dead end they were hopelessly isolated

and fighting for a lost cause that had

been lost years ago I imagine them

invoking more pity than fear

I mean just like it's over you guys go

home but they refused and they kept

refusing right through 1820 when news

came over from Spain that changed

everything

overnight news that turn Guerrero from

pathetic dead enter into a prophetic

legend the last man brave enough and

committed enough to have maintained the

flame of Liberty through a long and dark

night and what was this magically

transformative event why the mutiny of

Cadiz of course a you will recall the

mutiny of Cadiz from episode 5 point 17

this is when the restored Bourbon

monarchy was going to make a fresh play

to restore complete control over the

American part of the Spanish Empire and

they mustered tens of thousands of

soldiers in the port of Cadiz for a

major expedition across the Atlantic but

instead of sailing for America this

expedition mutinied under the direction

of liberal officers who then ran a

rebellion all the way back to Madrid

that forced King Ferdinand to adopt the

liberal constitution of 1812 as you'll

recall from our episodes on South

America this mutiny meant no more

reinforcements for the Royalists forces

in the Americas and from that point on

Bolivar and his gang were able to run

the table well up in New Spain there's

an additional twist namely that

conservative Criollo and even a lot of

peninsular who had been steadfastly

opposed to independence

now abruptly changed their minds they

were afraid that the new Liberal

leadership in Spain would undermine the

authority of the church undermine their

traditional systems of power and break

up the largest state so almost overnight

the conservative leadership of New Spain

army officers high church officials and

major landowners switched sides now the

man who embodied this switch more than

anyone else is of course Augustine de

Iturbide de Iturbide de had spent 10

years of his life relentlessly fighting

the rebellion he had joined the army as

a teenager and had actually fought in

the very first battle at monte de las

cruces that how long he has been

fighting rebels and it Irby day was also

the kind of conservative

cRIO yo that high vice-regal officials

loved he was devoutly religious he

believed in the caste system and the

role of social hierarchy and he was

dedicated in his defense of private

property rights he had risen steadily

through the ranks and as I said was the

principal opponent of Morelos from about

eighteen thirteen to eighteen fifteen

but though the vice-regal officials

tended to love him he was still barred

from rising too high in the ranks

because Hitler b-day was a Criollo and

resentment over this blocked ambition

combined with resentment over getting

temporarily booted from the army amidst

charges of embezzlement and extortion

after 1815 led Iturbi de to develop a

more independent spirit but he still had

plenty of friends in high places who got

him his old job back in the army and in

1820 with the very last remnants of the

Santa code arrows guerrillas on the

verge of a long-overdue extinction

Viceroy Apodaca put it Irby de in charge

of what was meant to be the very last

campaign of this now decade-long war an

inter BJ's campaign in 1820 would in

fact be the final campaign just not the

way the Viceroy thought so as I just

said after news that the king had been

forced to accept the liberal

constitution of 1812

murmurs raced through conservative

household and through the officers

quarters of New Spain and Iturbi day

realized he had a chance to have it all

he believed in nearly every part of the

vice-regal social and economic apparatus

and now that apparatus was threatened

because a bunch of damn liberals had

gotten a hold of the King back in Spain

but the only bit Iturbi day did not

agree with was the unjust treatment of

Criollo like himself so if he became the

leader of a new independence movement he

could possibly maintain most of the

existing social order by actually

breaking with Spain he found plenty of

support inside the officer corps and

when he went out on campaign to

quote-unquote confront Guerrero Iturbi

debt was almost certainly already in

contact with the rebel leader about

forming an alliance with the simple

shared goal of independence from Spain

now what followed is one of those war

and politics makes extremely strange

bedfellows you've got the dark-skinned

lower-class

diehard rebel Guerrero accepting an

alliance with the white royalist who had

ordered the execution of many of

Guerrero's friends and comrades but

Iturbi day offered Guerrero the army and

political support necessary to carry out

the project of Independence and Guerrero

gave Iturbi day the credibility he

needed to tap the power of the people

not just a narrow slice of Criollo elite

so after secret correspondence that

basically acted as feeling each other

out in Derby day and Guerrero met at the

town of Iguala where they fashioned the

very simple basis of their alliance

first the Catholic Church would be

supreme and inviolable second the

country would accept nothing less than

absolute independence and third there

would be social equality the formal

caste system would be abolished these

became known as the three guarantees of

the plan de Iguala which would then

promulgated on February the 24th 1821

the three guarantees offered something

for everyone and it was broad enough and

light enough on details that everyone

could see in it what they wanted then on

a more concrete level the two leaders

merged their armies and Guerrero agreed

to recognize intervie day as supreme

commander in chief there was now for the

first time a real cross class cross

caste revolutionary alliance with the so

called army of the three guarantees now

united against the Viceroyalty the end

game of Mexican Independence had arrived

now coincidentally enough in July of

1821 a new supreme political

representative from Spain arrived to

replace Viceroy apodaca now I'm not

gonna bother telling you this guy's name

but just know that because he was sent

by a Liberal government they were

dropping the rank of Viceroy and instead

he was simply dubbed the jefe politico

of New Spain he was there to make sure

that New Spain stay

to old Spain but as soon as he showed up

it was obvious to him that the whole

nation every peasant and landlord black

white indigenous mestizo all of them

supported the army of the three

guarantees and all of them seem to think

that independence would be coming any

day now so this half a politico

concluded that whatever his orders were

that it would be fruitless possibly even

personally suicidal to try to hold the

country for old Spain so he immediately

opened up negotiations with inter b-day

to secure a peaceful settlement and on

August the 24th 1821 not six weeks after

this guy's arrival the two leaders

signed the Treaty of Cordoba that

recognized the basic framework of the

plan

awawa and promised no resistance when

the army of the three guarantees

approached Mexico City and so it was

that on September the 27th 1821 11 years

and 11 days since the cry of Dolores a

victorious Patriot army entered Mexico

City and the next day the leaders of

that army issued a new and this time

really enforceable Declaration of

Independence of the Empire of Mexico

next week we will pick up with the

legacy of Independence it should come as

no surprise that the revolutionary

alliance was very quickly broken and

Vicente Guerrero went in to revolt

against inter be de who was by then

styling himself Emperor Agustin the

first then we're gonna barrel through

the next 50 years of Mexican history

which was defined by a running struggle

between conservative and liberal leaders

with constant rebellions and civil wars

and secession movements cropping up

everywhere like the one for example in

Texas we will also deal with Mexico's

increasingly subordinate dealings with

major foreign powers who were looking to

dominate and divide the country and

throughout the 19th century that meant

France of course but also principally

the United States and we will end next

week with the domestic triumphs of a

patriotic liberal general named Porfirio

[Music]

you