What happened during the Grito de Dolores in 1810?

The Grito de Dolores (Cry of Dolores) was the pivotal battle cry that ignited the Mexican War of Independence from Spain.1

On September 16, 1810, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a parish priest in Dolores, learned that a conspiracy he was leading against the Spanish colonial government had been betrayed. Forced to act immediately, he rang his church bell before dawn to summon the local populace.12

Addressing the gathered crowd from the pulpit, Hidalgo issued an impassioned call to arms. While the exact words are unknown, he is believed to have declared, in essence, "Long live Our Lady of Guadalupe, death to bad government, death to the gachupines [the Spaniards]!".12

This event transformed a planned conspiracy into a popular uprising, drawing thousands of indigenous and mestizo followers to the cause. Although Hidalgo was captured and executed the following year, his "cry" became the enduring symbol of Mexican independence, commemorated annually by the president of Mexico.321