Chapter 5 Mexican War of Independence.

Long live Mexico Bastards! - Independence of Mexico.

"Long live our Catholic faith! Long live King Ferdinand VII! Long live our country and our sacred lady the Virgin of Guadalupe reign forever over this American continent! Death to the Spanish and their bad government!"

-Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, Father of the Mexican Homeland.

The situation of New Spain was similar in many points to that of the rest of the viceroys, but at the same time different. New Spain was, along with Peru, one of the oldest and richest viceroys, and after the reorganization of the territory, they became the largest and most important colony of the Spanish Empire, possessing not only the rich lands of Mexico (many of which would be annexed by the United States), but also the very profitable Caribbean and the Philippines. They also had the largest population and were the other major Spanish stronghold.

However, New Spain was not a loyalist province like Peru. A form of Creole nationalism was growing in the colony, with the Creoles opposing peninsular domination in the Viceroy. The Creoles believed they had the right to govern the land and hold political power, since they considered it theirs for having been born there, without prejudice to their status as a European ethnic group and descendants of Spaniards who emigrated there. This Creole nationalism took shape in several prominent men who advocated for the autonomy, and even the independence of the colony in relation to the Motherland.

As in the rest of the continent, the American and French revolutions awakened the people's awareness of how flawed the colonial system was and the incompetence of the crown when it came to managing the viceroys. Finally, the spark that started it all was the Napoleonic Invasion of Spain.

The situation was new and desperate. The colonies were governed by the current monarch of Spain, but there was no decree that said what to do if the country fell into the hands of a foreign power. Certain circles swore loyalty to Bonaparte, while others decided that Ferdinand VII was the one true king and therefore formed "Juntas" to protect his rights. There was another faction that wanted independence, or at least a Government Junta that would take control of New Spain until Ferdinand's return.

The Creoles and peninsulars of New Spain proposed forming a Junta with Viceroy Iturrigaray at the head of it. However, a coup d'état took place and Pedro Garibay was named the new viceroy. He was described as a "decrepit old man" who the elites hoped to control. The people who put him in that position had no authority to do so, since they did not have approval from Spain or the people of the colony. The Junta then proceeded to raise money and send it to the Spanish Juntas fighting in Spain for Ferdinand VII.

When the Central Supreme Junta was established in Spain, they also called in representatives from the colonies, raising hopes in some circles for greater autonomy. These dreams ended when in the end only nine deputies were summoned from all of Latin America, while the Homeland had more than thirty-six, and these were only from the territories that France had not occupied. However, New Spain still recognized the Supreme Junta.

In July 1809, Francisco Javier de Lizana y Beaumont was appointed new viceroy to replace Garibay. While this was happening, tensions between Creoles and Peninsulares increased as they fought over which group should be chosen and sent to Spain. The "Valladolid Plot" was a Creole rebellion planned against how deputies were elected, but the priest Francisco de la Concha notified the authorities and more than forty people were arrested. Finally, the viceroy decided to release them against the wishes of the peninsulars, increasing hostility between the groups.

Later, a new Viceroy, Francisco Xavier Venegas, was appointed and even more revolutionary ideas were highlighted in the Viceroy. The Colombian and Platinum revolutions began at that time, and the Creoles were inspired there. The most influential was obviously the Colombian Revolution, thanks to Miranda's success in creating a Republic, his ideas of freedom, peace and equality and the success of the Colombian Armies in the Glorious Campaign.

The Quentaro Conspiracy began in response. It is debated whether Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a priest from the small town of Dolores, was the leader of the movement, or whether it was Ignacio Allende, a military officer and part of a Dragon Corps. The movement wanted to remove all peninsulars from the government of the colonies and replace them with Creoles. Training of troops and stockpiling of supplies began.

However, the conspiracy was discovered. Hidalgo decided to call the entire town of Dolores and surrounding towns to arms against the colonial institution, in the Grito de Dolores. The Mexican War of Independence began that day.

The war was a disaster at first, with the patriots defeated in almost every encounter and their leaders eventually captured in Chihuahua. Hidalgo and other prominent members of the Patriot Army were executed and their heads cut off and displayed for all to see.

New revolutions occurred in the rest of New Spain, perhaps the most important being the one led by José Antonio Torres in Zacoalco, where his "Insurgentes" defeated the royalists in battle and took Guadalajara. Several major cities also fell under patriotic control, including León, Aguascalientes, and Zacatecas. The Royalist counterattack took place soon after and several leaders ended up dead as a result. Cities under his control were also destroyed, with enormous loss of civilian life.

López Rayón continued the campaign in the north of the country after the death of Hidalgo and began his march towards the south. New revolts also occurred, including one in Mexico City that ended with the capture and execution of all the conspirators when a priest violated the seal of confession of one of the insurgents.

In Zitácuaro Rayón he established the American Supreme National Board and began to organize a government. He also sent ambassadors to Colombia, the United States and attempted to send one to La Plata but the ship was intercepted and the ambassador executed. Demands for support from several countries failed, since Colombia needed all its resources for its own war and the American president had greater interest in helping Colombia than Mexico.

The Mexican War of Independence would last the next ten years, bringing destruction and death to the viceroy. One million people died as a result of the conflict, New Spain's infrastructure was destroyed, and a huge debt was accumulated. The enormous Mexican territory was almost impossible to control by a single faction, and the concentration of troops there was the largest of all theaters of the conflict. López Rayón's campaigns were succeeded by several new campaigns and theaters and, unlike Colombia or even La Plata, there was no main command seeking independence, but rather several Juntas working separately.

When those armies were defeated, guerrilla warfare began as various insurgents attempted to resist Spanish attempts to defeat them. This brought even more devastation as the guerrillas became desperate and did everything they could to finance their campaign, including hatred, and tried everything to destroy the Spanish war efforts, destroying the Mexican economy in the process.

Finally, Iturbide, a politician, created his plan. He wanted to restore Ferdinand VII as king, but not of Spain, but of Mexico. Under this ideal, and also the ideas of "freedom, religion and union", the Trigarante Army was created when the main guerrilla leaders swore loyalty to Iturbide, now commander of the national armies. Several royalist armies joined his movement, as they were now also attracted to his ideals of freedom. But the fight wasn't over yet...