The Battle of Zacatecas was a military action of 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 ...

fought on 15 April 1811 at Zacatecas. The battle was fought between the royalist forces loyal to the Spanish crown and the Mexican rebels fighting for independence from the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

. The Mexican insurgents were commanded by General

Ignacio López Rayón Ignacio López Rayón (July 31, 1773 in Tlalpujahua, Intendancy of Valladolid (present-day Michoacán), New Spain – February 2, 1832 in Mexico City) was a general who led the insurgent forces of his country after Miguel Hidalgo's death, dur ...

and the Spanish by José Manuel de Ochoa. The battle resulted in a victory for rebel forces.

Context

Following the retreat of

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Don (honorific), 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 ...

and an army of insurgents to the north of

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

after their defeat at the Battle of Calderón Bridge on 16 March 1811, a meeting of the rebel leaders was convened in

Saltillo Saltillo () is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Coahuila and is also the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name. Mexico City, Monterrey, and Saltillo are all connected by a major railroad and highwa ...

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 ...

. The meeting was convened for the purpose of naming a leader to coordinate the rebel forces from a base in the north with the end goal of achieving Mexican independence. Despite being career soldiers, both

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 Vall ...

and Joaquín Arias turned down nominations for the position. Eventually,

was named supreme chief of insurgent forces and his second in command.

The battle

After hearing news of the capture of insurgent commanders in , López Rayón left

on 26 March and made way with his forces to Zacatecas. His march to Zacatecas was pursued by the Royalist army of José Manuel Ochoa who López Rayón defeated at the

Battle of Puerto de Piñones The Battle of Puerto de Piñones was a battle of the War of Mexican Independence that occurred on 1 April 1811 at Puerto de Piñones, Coahuila. The battle was fought between the royalist forces loyal to the Spanish crown, commanded by José ...

. The victory was not decisive and the Royalist army continued to harass the insurgents until they were defeated again at Zacatecas on 15 April 1811. López Rayón took the town of Zacatecas and used it as an industrial base to produce

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). ...

, and uniforms for his soldiers.

Aftermath

After his capture of Zacatecas, López Rayón marched to

La Piedad La Piedad is a municipality located at in the north-west of the Mexican state of Michoacán, bordering Jalisco and Guanajuato. The municipal seat is the town of La Piedad de Cabadas. The original colonial name was San Sebastián. It is bordered ...

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo (; Purépecha: ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of ...

, where he joined his forces together with those of .

Bibliography

* Zacatecas Zacatecas 1811 History of Zacatecas Zacatecas Zacatecas 1811 in New Spain April 1811 events {{Spain-battle-stub

Context

The battle

Aftermath

See also

Bibliography