The Mexican Wars for Independence as Discussed by Timothy J. Henderson

There were a variety of serious and important errors made by the Spanish in their governance of the New World that eventually led to the wars of Mexican independence. As Henderson states, “governing the American colonies was always a complex and often corrupt process of negotiation, compromise, and accommodation...laws, it seemed, were made to be ignored or evaded—obeyed only as a last resort” (11). This lack of a strong and effective system of government in these territories created an environment where revolutionary ideas and resentment of Spanish conquest and control were allowed to fester, eventually resulting in the outbreak of conflict between Mexicans desiring independence and the Spanish crown. If the Spanish had implemented a more effective and consistent policy in the Americas they could likely have quelled some of the more revolutionary tendencies on the part of the citizens of their colonies. However, this was not the only error made by the Spanish in their governance of the Americas.

One of the most important blunders on the part of the Spanish was their adoption of the Law of Consolidation in 1804. This law attempted to seize many of the funds of the Catholic Church in Mexico, and, according to Henderson, “the Consolidation policy surely caused many Mexicans to wonder what benefit they derived from a mother country that seemed to have become an insatiable leech” (46). Given the enormous social, political, and economic importance of the Catholic Church in Mexico this policy proved to be incredibly unpopular and a major reason for the upswing in revolutionary sentiment during this time period. This subversive political tendency amongst the Mexican population came to a head with the actions of Father Miguel Hidalgo.

Father Miguel Hidalgo was a Catholic priest whose speech railing against Spanish domination and authority, the Grito de Dolores, is widely viewed as the moment where the Mexican wars for independence truly began. As Henderson states, “In 1824, a federalist constitution was adopted, and the following year began the ritual celebration of September 16—the date of Father Hidalgo’s Grito de Dolores—as Mexico’s independence day” (212). The fact that the day of Hidalgo’s speech has been memorialized in such a manner is indicative of the breadth of his contribution to the independence of the Mexican state. Quite clearly the Grito de Dolores is one of the seminal and definitive moments in Mexican political history, and it is therefore impossible to underestimate Hidalgo’s importance to the Mexican revolutionary cause. However, Hidalgo was far from the only influential figure of the Mexican movement for independence.

Agustin de Iturbide was a military leader who managed to briefly become Emperor of Mexico before being deposed. Iturbide was, as Henderson states, “the man who actually achieved Mexico’s independence” (216). The fact that he led the military charge against the Spanish that finally resulted in the independence of the Mexican state makes him possibly the most important figure in terms of Mexico’s independence from the Spanish. However, as brilliant a military leader as he was, he proved to be an equally ineffective political leader once in charge of the nation - leading to a period of political instability.

Iturbide’s conservative and ineffective politics proved to rapidly lead to his downfall as a leader of the Mexican state. According to Henderson “The euphoria that attended the triumph of Iturbide’s revolution was genuine, but it was fleeting. The reckoning was at hand,” and “Only two years after he had been crowned emperor in a lavish ceremony in Mexico City’s enormous and elegant cathedral, Agustin de Iturbide lay dead in a barren room” (181; 211). Clearly, Iturbide lacked the ability to effectively politically consolidate the nation as effectively as he had militarily. However, his influence on the independence of Mexico is unmistakably enormous and worthy of careful consideration.

Work Cited

Henderson, Timothy J. The Mexican Wars for Independence. New York: Hill and Wang, 2009. Print.