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| Josefa Ortiz de DomÃnguez |
The Queretaro Conspiracy in 1810 became the foundation of the Hidalgo Revolt that raged during in 1810 and up to 1811 and continued on to a decade long struggle for independence, ending in 1821. The conspiracy involved creoles in different spectrums of societies – business, government, military, and religion. They aimed for an autonomy and equal rights for Mexico and Mexicans, which include the creoles mostly.
The
Queretaro Conspiracy came out from the political opportunity following the fall
of Spain to Napoleon and centuries of oppression and mismanagement by Spain.
Spain ruled Mexico as a colony after the conquest of Hernan Cortez over the
Aztecs. Mexico became known as the Viceroyalty of New Mexico and it became
Spain’s wealthiest colony in Americas. By the time of the conspiracy, Spain had
already ruled Mexico for over three hundred years. During those period, the
Spaniards imposed policies that impoverished the natives and discrimination
flourished in this colonial society. Peninsulares or Spaniards born in Spain,
also known as gachupines, ruled over Mexicans. Under them came the creoles,
mestizos, natives, and African slaves. Creoles were Spaniards born in the
colonies. Mestizos on the other hand were the result of the mingling a Spaniard
and a native. And in the lowest spectrum of the colonial Mexican society were
the natives and African slaves who worked tirelessly for the subsistence of
their family and for their tremendous taxes and commitments to the government. For
three centuries the natives suffered terribly in hands of Spain’s tutelage and
in the abuses and excesses of the Peninsulares who saw them as lower class
citizens.
Changed
in the situation began in the first decade of 19th century. The American and
French Revolution had spurred the ideas of age of Enlightenment with emphasis
in liberalism, equality, and nationalism. These ideas spread across the world,
including Mexico. It also gave rise to Napoleon Bonaparte who in 1808 conquered
Spain and placed his brother Joseph as the new King. With the fall of the
mother country, many principal cities in Spanish Americas formed juntas that
decided on the fate of their respective colonies. The same happened in Mexico.
Political
tensions, however, worsen in Mexico because of the desire of the creoles to
establish a junta. In 1808, prominent and wealthy creoles, like the Corregidor
of Queratero Miguel Dominguez, petitioned the viceroy to establish a junta.
They gave a moderate if not conservative proposal to the Viceroy, Jose de
Iturrigaray. They proposed that a junta to be created and headed by the viceroy
to rule over Mexico on behalf of King Ferdinand VII. Also, the junta would be
composed of representatives from principal cities within the viceroyalty. On
the bottom line, the creoles saw the junta as a prerogative for the
establishment of the autonomy of Mexico from Spain to improve the condition of
Mexico. Meanwhile, Viceroy Iturrigaray welcomed the idea and wanted to form an
assembly of representatives from across Mexico. The closeness of the Viceroy to
the creoles alarmed the peninsulares. On the night of September 15 and 16, the
peninsulares, led by a merchant named Gabriel de Yermo, deposed Iturrigaray
with a coup. The peninsulares replaced Iturrigaray with Pedro de Garibay, who
later they deposed again for being incompetent. They replaced Garibay with
Francisco Javier de Lizana y Beaumont. Lizana acted as viceroy until 1810
before stepping down in favor of the audiencia.
The
peninsulares action to foil the creoles proposal of the junta had racial as
well as economic reasons. In racial terms, the peninsulares had the idea that
European culture was superior, hence, being born in Spain meant being superior
to any other race born outside Europe, even those who had European ancestry.
But economic interest also drove the peninsulares to act against the creoles
proposal of a junta. Most of the creoles who supported the proposal came from
landowning elite. Much of the peninsulares, however, took their wealth from
being merchants and flourished with the trade set up between Spain and Mexico.
They saw the threat that once the creoles gain control of the government, it
would result to autonomy, which either with or without, would push to alter
trade policies and other economic relations between Mexico and Spain. Because
of these reasons, the peninsulares deposed Iturrigaray. But deposition of
Iturrigaray made creoles who wanted a junta and autonomy to go underground.
Conspiracies
developed by the creoles who seek a junta and autonomy or at least reform for
Mexico. In December 1809, the colonial authorities foiled a conspiracy in
Valladolid (Morelia). The conspiracy had the main goal of creating a junta and
establishing the autonomy of Mexico from Spain. They planned to achieve their
goals through a massive uprising by local juntas in different cities and by
natives. But Viceroy Lizana showed leniency towards the conspirators, which
encourage more creoles in conspiring against the government and the gachupines.
Queretaro
became the home of the next major conspiracy against the peninsulares and the
Viceroyal government. Queretaro back then had developed into a booming mining
and agricultural town. Wealth poured in along with social dissatisfaction.
Peninsulares and creoles racial divide existed. Natives suffered land grabbing
and abuses from wealthy gachupines. Even some creoles also fell victim to the
land grabbing tactics of the gachupines. These social problems resulted to
dissatisfaction and became a fertile ground for conspiracies.
The
Queretaro Conspiracy followed the Valladolid Conspiracy. Some prominent creoles
of Queretaro formulated the Queretaro Conspiracy. The conspiracy aimed similar
to the Valladolid Conspiracy. Its main goal remained the establishing of a
junta and the autonomy of Mexico. But later on, different plans within the
Queretaro Conspiracy surfaced from a plan to establish simply a junta to a plot
to establish a Mexican Empire with elector Prince. But a theme that remained
also prominent remained the taking of the lands of the gachupines for the
benefit of the natives and the creoles. The conspirators planned to achieve
their goals through a revolution set on December 8, 1810. Members plotted under the disguise of the
Literary and Social Club of Queretaro. They also created cells in nearby cities
of Celaya, San Miguel el Grande, Guanajuato, and the town of Dolores.
Members
of the conspiracy came from different backgrounds. The most leading figure was
the Corregidor of Queretaro, Miguel Dominguez, and his wife, Josefa Ortiz de
Dominguez, famously called “La Corregidora.” As an official in the government,
Miguel Dominguez saw the discrimination that creoles faced in the
administrative hierarchy of the Viceroyalty and the corruption and abuses made
by the gachupines. Pedro Antonio de Septien, a wealthy man due from his
inheritance from his father and sat in the city council of Queretaro, joined
the conspiracy. Military officers like Ignacio Allende and the brother Juan and
Ignacio Aldama joined also the conspiracy. Other members included Mariano
Abasolo, manuel Iturriaga, and Epigmenio Gonzales. Another important member of
the conspiracy later on was the parish priest of the town of Dolores Fr. Miguel
Hidalgo. Eventually, Fr. Hidalgo’s
parish would be the starting point of the war for independence.
The
discovery of the Queretaro Conspiracy happened on September 1810, three months
from the set date of the revolution. Authorities arrested some members like
Manuel Iturriaga and Epigmenio Gonzales. On the 13th, they arrested
Joesefa Ortiz de Dominguez. But before being caught, Dominguez sent a warning
to Aldama and Allende about the government crackdown. The two then proceeded to
the town of Dolores and warned Fr. Hidalgo about the danger of imprisonment and
mostly likely, death. Overnight they
discussed how to proceed but in the end they decided to prematurely start the
revolution that they planned. And on September 16, Fr. Hidalgo made the Grito de Dolores that started the Hidalgo Revolt and Mexico’s struggle for
independence.
The
Queretaro Conspiracy served as the root of the Hidalgo Revolt and the Mexican
War of Independence. It was the result of the social problems and issues that
had plague Mexico for centuries. Men and women in the conspiracy aimed to
change the situation for the better. However, their discovery led to a revolt
that sparked a decade long struggle for independence and change.
See
also:
Bibliography:
Bethell,
Leslie (ed.). The Independence of Latin America. New York, New York: University
of Cambridge Press, 1987.
Guedea,
Virginia."Hidalgo Revolt." in Concise Encyclopedia of Mexico by
Michael Werner. Chicago, Illinois: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 2001.
Kirkwood,
Burton. The History of Mexico. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2010.
Tutino,
John. From Insurrection to Revolution in Mexico: Social Bases of Agrarian
Violence, 1750 - 1940. Chichester, West Sussex: Princeton University Press,
1988.
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Love this, thank you.
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