On September 16, 1810, Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Castilla delivers the Grito de Dolores (Cry of Dolores) in the town of Dolores Hidalgo (near Guanajuato), Mexico. Issued in reaction to the occupation of Spain by Napoleon Bonaparte, Hidalgo's call to rebellion was answered by an initial 600-800 men as well as Hidalgo's co-conspirators Ignacio Allende and Mariano Abosolo. By the time the rebels reached the capital of Mexico City, their ranks had grown to nearly 100,000 rebels and had adopted the standard of the Virgin of Guadalupe as their banner. Initially victorious through sheer numbers, the lack of discipline among Hidalgo's rebels and his own tactical errors resulted in the Hidalgo revolt being defeated and its leaders tried for treason. Allende, along with Juan Aldama and Mariaon Jiménez, were executed by firing squad. Mariano Abosolo was sent to Spain and sentenced to life in prison. Miguel Hidalgo, being a civilian rather than a soldier as the others had been, was tried by the Inquisition, stripped of his priesthood, found guilty, and executed. The bodies of Hidalgo, Allende, Aldama, and Jiménez were decapitated and displayed from the granary in Guanajuato as a warning to others who may consider rebellion.

Following the defeat of Hidalgo's revolt, leadership of the rebellion against the Spanish government was assumed by José María Morelos until his capture and execution in 1815. From 1815 to 1821, the bulk of the fighting was conducted by scattered bands of rebels. In 1821, Colonel Agustín de Iturbide (who had previously participated in the campaign against Hidalgo) formed the Army of Three Guarantees and, joined by rebels from across the country, marched into Mexico City and declared Mexican independence, ending the Mexican War of Independence. Iturbide was declared emperor of Mexico the following year.