The Battle of Zitácuaro took place during the
War of Mexican Independence on 2 January 1812 in the area around
Zitácuaro,
Michoacán
Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo, is one of the 31 states which, together with Mexico City, compose the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The stat ...
. 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, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...
. The Mexican insurgents were commanded by General
Ignacio López Rayón and the Spanish by
Félix María Calleja. The battle resulted in a victory for the Spanish Royalists even in the face of overwhelming odds.
Context
The
viceroy
A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory.
The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...
of
New Spain
New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...
,
Francisco Javier Venegas, ordered the retaking of the city of
Heroica Zitácuaro as it was the contemporary site of the
Zitacuaro Council, the headquarters for the direction of the entire insurgency against the Spanish crown.
The battle
The two armies came to blows in and around the city of
Zitácuaro. During the battle, , the younger brother of the supreme insurgent commander,
Ignacio López Rayón, lost his eye. After many hours of battle, the city eventually fell to Spanish forces despite the numerical superiority of the rebel forces.
Aftermath
In the wake of the rebel defeat at Zitácuaro, the members of the Zitacuaro Council were made to flee the city and relocated to the towns of
Tlalchapa and
Sultepec.
[Zárate, 1880; 274-275]
See also
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Mexican War of Independence
The Mexican War of Independence (, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from the Spanish Empire. It was not a single, coherent event, but local and regional ...
*
Timeline of Mexican War of Independence
References
Bibliography
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Zitacuaro
Conflicts in 1811
History of Michoacán
Zitacuaro
Zitacuaro
1811 in New Spain
July 1811
Zitácuaro
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