Who they were
A parish priest in the town of Dolores, Hidalgo was influenced by Enlightenment ideas and moved by the poverty of his mostly Indigenous and mestizo parishioners. In 1810 he issued the Grito de Dolores, a call to rise against Spanish rule.
What they did
His revolt drew a huge, poorly organized popular army that won early victories but failed to take Mexico City. He was captured, defrocked, and executed by royalist forces in 1811.
Legacy
Though he did not live to see independence, his rising began the movement that freed Mexico in 1821. Mexico marks the anniversary of his Grito each September as its Independence Day.