The Battle of Calderón Bridge ( es, Batalla del Puente de Calderón) was a decisive battle in the
Mexican War of Independence
The Mexican War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de México, links=no, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from Spain. It was not a single, co ...
. It was fought in January 1811 on the banks of the
Calderón River east of
Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...
in present-day
Zapotlanejo
Zapotlanejo is a town and municipality in the Mexican state of Jalisco.
According to the 2020 census, there were 63,634 inhabitants in the municipality. The municipality has a territorial extension of 643.02 km2.
Toponymy
Zapotlanejo is a ...
,
Jalisco
Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...
.
Almost 100,000 Mexican revolutionaries contributed to the attack, commanded by
Miguel Hidalgo
Don Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla y Gallaga Mandarte Villaseñor (8 May 1753 – 30 July 1811), more commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or Miguel Hidalgo (), was a Catholic priest, leader of the Mexican ...
,
Ignacio Allende
Ignacio José de Allende y Unzaga (, , ; January 21, 1769 – June 26, 1811), commonly known as Ignacio Allende, was a captain of the Spanish Army in New Spain who came to sympathize with the Mexican independence movement. He attended the secre ...
,
Juan Aldama
Juan Aldama (January 3, 1774 in San Miguel el Grande, Guanajuato – June 26, 1811 in Chihuahua) was a Mexican revolutionary rebel soldier during the Mexican War of Independence in 1810.
Biography
He was also the brother of Ignacio Aldama ...
and
Mariano Abasolo
Jose Mariano de Abasolo (1783–1816) was a Mexican revolutionist, born at Dolores, Guanajuato. He participated in the revolution started by Miguel Hidalgo.
Biography
In 1809 he belonged to one of the first conspiracy groups located in Val ...
. The Royalist forces of
New Spain
New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Am ...
, made up of between 5,000 and 8,000 professional soldiers fighting for the King of Spain, were led by
Félix MarÃa Calleja del Rey, a Spanish military officer and (later)
viceroy of New Spain
The following is a list of Viceroys of New Spain.
In addition to viceroys, the following lists the highest Spanish governors of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, before the appointment of the first viceroy or when the office of viceroy was vacant. M ...
. He was also later given the title of ''conde de Calderón'' for the Spanish victory.
The battle owes its name to the adjoining bridge, and the combattants' objective. The Battle of Calderón Bridge was the last militant episode of the first stage of the War of Independence.
Overview
Following Hidalgo's failed attempt to take
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
in October 1810, insurgent troops retreated toward
Guanajuato
Guanajuato (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato), is one of the 32 states that make up the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 46 municipalities and its capital city i ...
, pursued by Royalist forces led by General
Félix MarÃa Calleja
Felix may refer to:
* Felix (name), people and fictional characters with the name
Places
* Arabia Felix is the ancient Latin name of Yemen
* Felix, Spain, a municipality of the province AlmerÃa, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, ...
. Unable to defend positions at
Aculco
Aculco is a municipality located in the Atlacomulco Region of the State of Mexico in Mexico. The name comes from Nahuatl. The municipal seat is the town of Aculco de Espinoza, although both the town and municipality are commonly referred to as ...
, where Calleja's army intercepted the insurgents, Hidalgo decided to continue his army's retreat towards
Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...
.
The insurgent army, numbering approximately 100,000, took up a defensive position at the Bridge of Calderón, where the road from Guanajuato to Guadalajara crossed the
Calderón River. Ignacio Allende commanded the troops at this position.
Among the insurgent forces were 20,000 light cavalry, 3,000 armed with rifles, 60,000 armed with spears, slings, and arrows. Calleja's forces, which numbered between 5,000 and 8,000 but were better equipped than the insurgent forces, arrived at the Bridge on 16 January.
As the battle ensued, Royalist artillery struck an insurgent ammunitions wagon, which caused it to explode. The explosion dispersed much of the insurgent force, giving victory to the much smaller but better disciplined and equipped Royalist forces. Insurgent forces fled northwards after losing the battle with Royalist troops following them.
The insurgents' defeat in this battle effectively was a turning point in the War of Independence and resulted in a ten-year delay before insurgent victory and independence could be achieved.
Aftermath
The battle marked the end of the first stage of the war and was noted for the fact that the insurgents fought with more passion than strategy. The insurgent forces were devastated and the events that followed would lead up to the capture and ultimately the executions of Hidalgo, Allende, Aldama and Jiménez.
The insurgents fled north where, in
Pabellón de Hidalgo
Pabellón de Hidalgo is a town of 4,006 inhabitants in the municipality of Rincón de Romos, Aguascalientes, Mexico.
It's said that after the defeat of the rebels at the Battle of Calderón Bridge, they arrived at the Hacienda de San Blas in Pab ...
, Hidalgo was divested of his military command in favour of Allende.
In March they received an invitation by the
New Leonese general
Ignacio Elizondo
Francisco Ignacio Elizondo Villarreal, (born Salinas Valley, New Kingdom of León, New Spain, March 9, 1766 - died San Marcos, Texas, New Spain, c. September 12, 1813), was a royalist military officer during the Mexican war of independence agains ...
to meet at the Wells of Baján (''Norias de Baján'') in
Coahuila
Coahuila (), formally Coahuila de Zaragoza (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza), is one of the 32 states of Mexico.
Coahuila borders the Mexican states of N ...
, hoping they would be able to buy weapons in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. The first contingent arrived on 21 March with Allende, Aldama, Jiménez and Indalecio, son of Allende. They were welcomed and ambushed, and immediately taken prisoner. When the second contingent arrived with Abasolo, they were also captured and taken prisoner. Hidalgo ultimately arrived on horse and was personally apprehended by Elizondo.
The prisoners were taken to
Chihuahua where they were tried. Allende, Aldama and Jiménez were shot on 26 June, Hidalgo on 30 July and Abasolo was sentenced to life in prison in
Cádiz
Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia.
Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...
, Spain, where he died in 1816.
Calderón Bridge was declared a Mexican historical monument in 1932.
Notes
References
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External links
*â
Official site of the ''Batalla del Puente de Calderón''*â
Inep.org: La Batalla del Puente de Calderón—
*â
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Monografias.com: En MonografÃas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle of Calderon Bridge
Calderon Bridge
Conflicts in 1811
1811 in New Spain
Calderon Bridge
Calderon Bridge
History of Jalisco
January 1811 events