Miguel Hidalgo Biography Update, Age, Education, Priest, Career, Execution, Death

Don Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla Gallaga Mandarte y Villaseñor (8 May 1753 – 30 July 1811), better known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or simply Miguel Hidalgo, was a Mexican Catholic priest and a key leader in the Mexican War of Independence. He is recognized as the Father of the Nation.

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Hidalgo taught at the Colegio de San Nicolás Obispo in Valladolid and was influenced by Enlightenment ideas, which led to his removal in 1792. He later served in churches in Colima and Dolores. When he arrived in Dolores, he was surprised by the fertile land and tried to help the poor by teaching them to grow olives and grapes. However, colonial authorities in New Spain (now Mexico) discouraged or banned these crops to avoid competition with Spanish imports. On 16 September 1810, Hidalgo delivered the Cry of Dolores, urging people to defend King Ferdinand VII, who was held captive during the Peninsular War, by rising up against the peninsulares who had overthrown Viceroy José de Iturrigaray.

Age

Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla Gallaga Mandarte y Villaseñor was born on 8 May 1753 in Pénjamo, Nueva Galicia, in the Viceroyalty of New Spain.

Biography

Hidalgo was the second child of Cristóbal Hidalgo y Costilla Espinoza de los Monteros and Ana María Gallaga Mandarte Villaseñor, both of whom were criollos. His mother’s family had Basque roots, with his maternal great-grandfather coming from Durango, Biscay. On his father’s side, he came from respected criollo families in Tejupilco. Hidalgo’s father managed an hacienda in Valladolid, Michoacán, where Hidalgo spent most of his life. Eight days after he was born, Hidalgo was baptized in the parish church of Cuitzeo de los Naranjos. His parents had three other sons: José Joaquín, Manuel Mariano, and José María. Their mother died when Hidalgo was nine. Later, a half-brother, Mariano, was born.

In 1759, Charles III became king of Spain and soon sent a visitor-general to reform the colonial government. Around this time, Cristóbal wanted both Miguel and his younger brother Joaquín to join the priesthood. Since the family was well-off, he made sure his sons received the best education available. After private lessons, probably from a nearby parish priest, Hidalgo was prepared for more advanced studies.

Education, Ord ination, and Career

When he was twelve, Hidalgo went to Valladolid (now Morelia), Michoacán, to study at the Colegio de San Francisco Javier with the Jesuits, along with his brothers. After the Jesuits were expelled from Mexico in 1767, he continued his studies for the priesthood at the Colegio de San Nicolás.

Hidalgo finished his preparatory education in 1770. He then attended the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico in Mexico City, where he earned a degree in philosophy and theology in 1773. His priestly education included Latin, rhetoric, and logic. Like many priests in Mexico, he learned indigenous languages such as Nahuatl, Otomi, and Purépecha. He also studied Italian and French, which were uncommon in Mexico at the time. His cleverness at school earned him the nickname “El Zorro” (“The Fox”). Knowing French allowed him to read Enlightenment works from Europe, which were forbidden by the Catholic Church in Mexico.

Hidalgo became a priest in 1778 at age 25. From 1779 to 1792, he taught at the Colegio de San Nicolás Obispo in Valladolid (now Morelia), which was considered “one of the most important educational centers of the viceroyalty.” He taught Latin grammar, arts, and theology. Starting in 1787, he served as treasurer, vice-rector, and secretary, and became dean in 1790 at age 37. As rector, Hidalgo continued to study liberal ideas from France and other parts of Europe. In 1792, authorities removed him for changing traditional teaching methods and for “irregular handling of some funds.” The Church then assigned him to parishes in Colima and San Felipe Torres Mochas. He later became the parish priest in Dolores, Guanajuato, taking over after his brother José Joaquín died on 19 September 1802.

Execution

Hidalgo was sent to Durango, where Bishop Francisco Gabriel de Olivares officially defrocked and excommunicated him on 27 July 1811. A military court then found him guilty of treason. He was tortured by having the skin of his hands removed, symbolizing the removal of the chrism from his ordination, and then executed. There are several theories about his death, but the most widely accepted is that he was shot by a firing squad on the morning of 30 July. Before his execution, he thanked his jailers, two soldiers named Ortega and Melchor, for treating him humanely.

At his execution, Hidalgo said, “Though I may die, I shall be remembered forever; you all will soon be forgotten.” Afterward, his body and those of Allende, Aldama, and José Mariano Jiménez were decapitated. Their heads were displayed at the four corners of the Alhóndiga de Granaditas in Guanajuato for ten years, until the end of the Mexican War of Independence, to discourage rebels. Hidalgo’s headless body was first shown outside the prison and then buried in the Church of St Francis in Chihuahua. In 1824, his remains were moved to Mexico City.