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Primary sourceArtifactearly 19th century

Second Standard of Hidalgo

early 19th century

A second insurgent banner believed to have been taken up by Hidalgo and Allende at Atotonilco, now in Mexico's National History Museum.

Believed to be the banner Hidalgo and Allende took up at Atotonilco at the start of the independence uprising.

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Painting of the Virgin of Guadalupe: a standing woman with hands clasped in prayer, head bowed, wearing a dark blue-green mantle decorated with gold stars and gold trim over a pink-red and cream gown. Golden rays surround her, and a small angel figure appears at the bottom.
Second Standard of Hidalgo, early 19th century. Museo Nacional de Historia, Castillo de Chapultepec, Mexico City.

About this source

What it is

This is a painted banner showing the Virgin of Guadalupe, mounted on its original wooden frame and permanently displayed in the flag room of the Museo Nacional de Historia at Chapultepec Castle. According to testimonies, this is believed to be the standard that Hidalgo and Allende took up at Atotonilco at the start of the insurgency. For most of the nineteenth century it was kept at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Why it matters

This banner links Hidalgo directly to Ignacio Allende, a fellow insurgent leader, at the very beginning of the War of Independence. Its long history of care within the Basilica shows how religious institutions preserved objects connected to the insurgency.

Look closer

  • What does it mean that this banner's connection to Hidalgo relies on testimony rather than a written record?
  • Why might the Basilica have kept this object safe for so long?
  • How does the painting of the Virgin compare to other religious images used by the insurgents?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Black and white photograph of a large old bronze bell mounted in a wooden and iron frame, with metal rods and a crossbeam above it, set against a stone wall with arches visible in the background.Speech

Secondary source

Grito de Dolores

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla · 16 September 1810

Photograph of a scanned, aged Spanish colonial edict headed 'Nos los Inquisidores Apostolicos' in dense printed and handwritten text, with a seal at lower left, signatures at bottom, and an AGN archive stamp at lower right.Document

Primary source

Edicto contra Hidalgo

Apostolic Inquisitors of New Spain · 1810

Black handwritten signature on white background reading 'Mig. Hidalgo', with 'Generalísimo de America' written below in cursive, followed by a flourish.Document

Primary source

Signature of Miguel Hidalgo Y Costilla

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla

Front facade of the Alhóndiga de Granaditas, a large stone building with rows of small barred windows, its weathered pinkish-beige walls and a wide stone staircase in the foreground. Two people walk on the plaza, and a third stands at right.Artifact

Secondary source

Alhóndiga de Granaditas

1798-1809 (built); 1810 (battle)

A dim stone-walled cell with a wooden chair with woven seat, a small table holding stacked papers, an open book, a quill pen in an inkstand, a bread roll on a metal plate, and a candle holder. A cot with striped blanket sits behind, and a glass barrier runs across the front.Artifact

Secondary source

Calabozo de Hidalgo, Chihuahua

18th century

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