1. The Mexican War for Independence 1810 to 1821
Kyle Chiang, Ella McIlwaine
Alex Yang, Ella Yousaf

2. Overview & Important Figures
1810: Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla calls peasant uprising in El Grito de Dolores (“The Cry of Dolores”)
1811: Hidalgo is captured and executed by conservatives, war falls under leadership of José María Morelos
1821: Mexican independence declared under Treaty of Córdoba, Mexico becomes military dictatorship Augustín de Iturbide
1823: Iturbide is deposed by Mexican elites, establishing the First Mexican Republic

3. Context Sistema de Castas
social organization based on racial hierarchy
subjugation of indigenous and black people
since conquest of Mexico led by Hernan Cortes
Napoleonic Wars (1808)
Napoleon invades Spain & Portugal, weakening monarchy’s control over colonies
Enlightenment Ideals
Ideas of popular sovereignty and limited power of monarchy & aristocracy popularized in Europe and New World territories
American & French Revolutions

4. Causes
Short Term
Napoleonic conquest of Spain weakens monarchy’s control over territories
Mexican liberals gain political power, creating conflict with conservatives
Manuel Hidalgo y Costilla calls on Mexican peasants to revolt in 1810
Long Term
growing creole class becomes resentful towards strict Spanish rule and economic revolutions
American War of Independence creates political model that attracts Mexican revolutionaries

5. Causes
Long Term
Mexican revolutionaries gain access to Enlightenment ideals
oppression of lower classes and black & indigenous peoples inspire revolutionary ideas

6. Goals Rid European born peninsulares from Mexican society
Eliminate rule of Spanish monarchy on Mexico
For liberals, create a society based on racial equality and limit power of Mexican elite
For conservative elites, maintain the social order that held elite creoles at an advantage

7. Results Treaty of Cordoba (1821)
Augustín de Iturbide declares Mexican independence from Spain under the Plan of Iguala
Iturbide declares himself emperor, bringing the newly independent Mexican empire under a military dictatorship
Mexican Republic (1823)
Creole elites depose Iturbide and establish the First Mexican Republic
Central American Federation (1825)
southern Mexican regions declare independence from republic

8. Results-Helpful info in speaker notes below!
Formation of Central American States (1838)
Central American Federation separates into independent states of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica
Long Term Effects
economic instability (both Mexico & Spain)
foreign debt & unemployment
political corruption and instability in Central America
establishment of democracy (until establishment of dictatorship under Porfirio Díaz in 1877 > Mexican Revolution in 1910)
social hierarchy remains between upper and lower classes
Slavery is also abolished in 1829, three decades before the abolition of slavery in the United States. Rather than for humanitarian reasons, abolition was also motivated by Mexico’s desire to prevent plantation owners and slaveholders from the southern United States from entering Mexico to grow cotton.
To summarize, political and economic instability followed the Mexican War for Independence for many years, as conflicting liberal and conservative elite classes struggled to find appropriate ways to govern the newly independent state. This hindered economic productivity and innovation in the region, and its effects can still be seen today. The tumult that ensued after the war continued into the establishment of Diaz’s dictatorship in 1877, sparking the Mexican Revolution in 1910 that established the republic Mexico operates under today.
As Spain lost considerable territory in the New World in a short period time, losing many of its resources and revenue. In addition to the monarchy’s inability to generate profits from lucrative industries in mining and agriculture, it was also no longer able to tax citizens and commerce in the colonies. This destabilized its economy, shrinking its previously dominant role in global trade and the global economy.
As conservatives ultimately gained political power after Mexican independence, and they were able to carry out their agenda, resulting in the social hierarchy that remained, subjugating people of color and lower classes. Conservatives were previously interested in getting rid of the monarchy and peninsulares, but were against any major social reform with the intent of maintaining their elite position in Mexican society. Because of this, it was less radical in terms of change when compared to the American and French Revolutions, which reformed political and social structures in their states.