Fearless Fridays: Miguel Hidalgo
As a respected parish priest and valued member of his community, Father Miguel Hidalgo (1753-1811) was the last person anyone would have expected to kick off a revolution in Spanish colonial Mexico. Nevertheless, inside the facade of a dignified clergyman known for his command of complex Catholic theology beat the heart of a true revolutionary. On September 16, 1810 Hidalgo, who was by then in his fifties, took to the pulpit in the town of Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato to inform his followers that he was taking up arms against the hated Spaniards and invited them to join him, this would later be known as "El Grito de Dolores." Angry mobs turned into an irresistible army and before long, Hidalgo and his supporters were at the very gates of Mexico City. Hidalgo was captured and executed in 1811—but the revolution he inspired lived on. Today, many Mexicans regard him as the father (no pun intended) of their nation.