Exam topic 3 of 10
Independence and the 19th century, for the exam.
The century with the most dates on the syllabus. These are the ones that come up.
What this topic gets asked about
Dates and people, more than anywhere else on the syllabus. If you learn five dates for the whole exam, learn them here.
The Grito de Dolores, on 16 September 1810, in the town of Dolores, Guanajuato, began the war of independence. It is the date Mexico celebrates as its national day.
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a priest, gave the Grito. He is called the father of the nation.
Ignacio Allende, Juan Aldama and Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez — la Corregidora — were the other leaders of the conspiracy at Querétaro.
José María Morelos y Pavón led the second stage. His Sentimientos de la Nación, read at the Congress of Chilpancingo in 1813, proposed abolishing slavery and the castas.
Independence was consummated on 27 September 1821, with the entry of the Ejército Trigarante into Mexico City, led by Agustín de Iturbide and Vicente Guerrero.
The Plan de Iguala of 1821 set out the three guarantees — religion, independence and union — which are the three colours of the flag.
Guadalupe Victoria was the first president of Mexico, from 1824. The Constitution of 1824 made the country a federal republic.
Vicente Guerrero abolished slavery in 1829.
The war with the United States of 1846 to 1848 ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the loss of about half the national territory. The Niños Héroes defended Chapultepec Castle in 1847.
Benito Juárez, from Oaxaca, of Zapotec origin, is the president of the Leyes de Reforma and the Constitution of 1857, which separated Church and State.
The phrase attributed to Juárez — "Entre los individuos, como entre las naciones, el respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz" — is one the exam likes.
The French intervention brought Maximilian of Habsburg as emperor from 1864 to 1867. He was executed at the Cerro de las Campanas in Querétaro.
The Battle of Puebla, 5 May 1862, was the Mexican victory over the French army, led by Ignacio Zaragoza. It is not independence day, a distinction the exam is happy to test.
The Porfiriato was the long rule of Porfirio Díaz, roughly 1876 to 1911: railways, foreign investment, and no political freedom.
The República Restaurada is the period between the fall of Maximilian in 1867 and the start of the Porfiriato.
A practice question from this topic
In Spanish, like the real exam. Open the answer to read the Contexto, or pick an option first.
Question 1 of 1 · Independence & 19th Century
¿En qué población de Guanajuato ocurrió el llamado Grito que inició la Independencia?
Show the answer
Answer
Dolores
Contexto
La población guanajuatense hoy llamada Dolores Hidalgo es donde Miguel Hidalgo dio el Grito que inició la insurgencia en 1810.
The other 626, with an explanation each.
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Questions people ask
Is 16 September or 5 May Mexico’s independence day?
16 September. The 5 May is the Battle of Puebla against the French in 1862, more than forty years after independence began. Mixing them up is a classic exam trap.
When did independence start and when did it end?
It began with the Grito de Dolores on 16 September 1810 and was consummated on 27 September 1821 — eleven years.
How many dates do I really need?
For this topic: 1810, 1821, 1824, 1847, 1857, 1862, 1867. That is most of the dated questions on the whole syllabus.