Meaning of the Cry of Dolores

What is the Grito de Dolores:

The Cry of Dolores is the speech that begins the Mexican War of Independence delivered by the priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla on September 16, 1810 in the city of Dolores, today called Dolores Hidalgo, near Guanajuato in Mexico.

Summary of the Grito de Dolores

The Grito de Dolores by Miguel Hidalgo is the cry that marks the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence.

In the Grito de Dolores speech, Miguel Hidalgo yells his 'cheers' to the Virgin of Guadalupe, to the Catholic Church and to the independence and also shouts their ‘deaths’ to the bad government, injustices and the gachupines (Spaniards born in Spain).

Today, Mexico follows the tradition of ‘el grito’ one day before the Mexican national holidays on September 15th. The President of the Republic of Mexico rings the bells of the National Palace in Mexico City and in a speech patriotic, in which he names the fallen heroes in the War of Independence, he opens the festivities shouting 3 times: Long live Mexico!.

For the bicentennial of the Independence of Mexico, the inaugural cry of the President of the Republic Felipe Calderón was launched in the city of Dolores Hidalgo as a tribute to Miguel de Hidalgo.

See also Mexican national anthem.

Historical context of the Grito de Dolores

In 1808 Napoléon Bonaparte invaded Spain. This fact makes Miguel Hidalgo definitely join the patriots and creoles creating the rebellion against the Spanish colonial government in Mexico.

During the first half of the year 1810, the patriotic group formed mostly by Creoles, that is, Spaniards born in Mexico, carry out a series of clandestine pro-independence meetings later called The Conspiracy of Queretaro.

On the night of September 15, 1810, Miguel Hidalgo sent Mauricio Hidalgo, Ignacio Allende and Mariano Abasolo in front of to a group of armed men to free the people who were imprisoned for being in favor of the movements independentists.

At dawn on September 16, 1810, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rings the church bells, bringing everyone together the independentists and delivers his famous Grito de Dolores, a speech that motivated them to rebel against the current government Spanish.

Miguel Hidalgo manages within the next year to decree the abolition of slavery and repeal the Mandatory tributes imposed on indigenous people who died by shooting in Chihuahua on July 30, 1811.

The Independence of Mexico is only achieved after a decade of wars on September 27, 1821.