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Primary sourceArtifact1810-09-16

Standard of Hidalgo bearing the Virgin of Guadalupe

1810-09-16

A 1810 banner showing the Virgin of Guadalupe, carried by Hidalgo's insurgent army at the start of the war for independence.

This banner was carried by Hidalgo's insurgent army as a rallying symbol at the start of the war he led.

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Illustration of a turquoise pennant-shaped banner with a brown top pole and fringed bottom point. It shows the Virgin of Guadalupe standing in an orange rayed halo with a gold crown, hands clasped, and a crescent moon beneath her feet. Text reads 'VIVA IXXRS MA D' and 'GUADALUPE'.
Standard of Hidalgo, 1810. Unknown maker.

About this source

What it is

This is a banner from 1810, associated with the insurgent army led by Miguel Hidalgo. It shows the Virgin of Guadalupe standing in a golden halo, with text reading 'VIVA' and 'GUADALUPE'.

Why it matters

Religious imagery like this connected the independence movement to Catholic faith and popular devotion, helping Hidalgo rally ordinary people to his cause. Banners such as this were carried into battle as symbols of identity and unity for the insurgents.

Look closer

  • Why might Hidalgo's army have chosen the Virgin of Guadalupe as its symbol instead of a flag with no religious image?
  • What does the choice of image tell you about who Hidalgo was trying to recruit to his cause?
  • What is missing from this banner that might tell us more about the army that carried it?

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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