San Miguel de Allende, Fiestas Patrias
Las Fiestas Patrias
Well, here we are at the actual Independence Day! Lots of Mexican tourists, the usual parade of school children with the addition of a small military contingent, fireworks, speeches and more speeches, and castillos and more fireworks tonight.
We’re still hiding out, with a few forrays to the grocery store/liquor store. Napping when we can because its hard to get enough sleep with the dusk and dawn-breaking fireworks orgies going on. So, back to our book: an excerpt from “A Gringo Guide to Mexican History,” available in its 354 page entirety for download at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com.
Chapter Five
THE CAMPAIGN
Father Miguel Hidalgo, having been warned of the discovery of his rebellion, rang the bell of the church in Dolores, Guanajuato to summon his parishoners. He called for armed rebellion against the Spaniards. He later confessed, “I knew no other way to ignite the war other than to appeal to the elemental passions of my Indian parishoners, among them plunder and revenge.”
When Hidalgo, Allende, and Aldama left Dolores early on the morning of September, 16th they were accompanied by 13 deserting Dragoons who had been stationed there, and perhaps another 200 men, half of whom were mounted. A few of the men on horseback were armed with pistols or shotguns; the majority had only lances. The men on foot (mostly Indians) were armed with bows and arrows, slings, and even sticks. (It was a capital offense under Spanish rule for an Indian to possess a firearm.)
When they stopped at the Sanctuary of Atontonilco (Place of Hot Waters), Father Hidalgo took from the church a famous banner depicting the Virgin of Guadalupe, which thereafter served as the “flag” for the patriots throughout the war. When this banner was raised on a lance, the crowd came up with their own Grito, “Viva la Virgin de Guadalupe and death to the Gachupines!”
The legend of how the Virin of Guadalupe presented her image to the Indian Juan Diego was universally known by Indians throughout Mexico. By selecting her image as the Standard of rebellion, Father Hidalgo clearly signaled that he wanted popular Indian support for a universal conflagration. He wanted to destroy the old order, to cure its social and ethnic injustices, to avenge the old grievances of the creoles, and to avenge Manuel, the brother who the Spanish King had driven mad by the confiscation of their lands.
(The sanctuary, incidentally, had been a popular place of spiritual retreat since Father Luis Felipe Neri de Alfaro and the Order of Felipenses constructed it in 1746-1748.)
By the middle of the afternoon the “army” had reached San Miguel el Grande, numbering more than 600. Word of their coming had preceded them and many of the Spaniards had hastily armed themselves and gathered in the City Hall, determined to fight. But Capt. Allende, who was well-known to them all, convinced them that resistance would be useless and they surrendered peacefully. They were taken to the Colegio de San Francisco de Sales under protective custody.
The Sanmiguelenses had joined with those coming from Dolores and the combined mob was getting both drunk and ugly. The Dragoons of San Miguel and Dolores had their hands full keeping order. At one point Allende was forced to lead a mini-charge to keep the mob from breaking into the College and hanging the Royalists.
During that evening and well into the next day, rioting and looting were common. As soon as a troop of Dragoons dispersed a group and moved on, the mob formed again. On the 17th a new city government was formed and order was gradually restored. The new Honorable Ayuntamiento #1 (city council) was the first governmental body in Mexico to be free of Spain. (It’s still number 1 to this day. Mexico City is number 50.) The attorney Ignacio Aldama (Juan’s older brother) was named Presidente Municipal, Municipal President.
Early on September, 19th the army, now about 5,000 strong, left San Miguel El Grande. Their route would take them to Celaya, Salamanca, Irapuato, Silao and on to Guanajuato. Few of them would come home again.
Mexico City, Fiestas Patrias
Living and Writing in Mexico 
Leave a comment