Padre Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla
Edinburg, Hidalgo County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla (1753-1811), for whom the county of Hidalgo is named, was born near Guanajuato, Mexico, while the country was still under Spanish rule. After being ordained a priest in 1779, he served churches in Colima, San Felipe, and Dolores, where he emerged as a champion of human rights who feared the colonial system would never allow independence and justice for all citizens. A firm believer in economic independence from the mother country, Hidalgo worked toward that goal by teaching farming methods and industrial techniques to Indians and others in his parish. In 1810 Padre Hidalgo, along with military leader Ignacio de Allende, conspired to overthrow the Royalist government. Warned that officials suspected their plot, Hidlago gathered sympathizers in Dolores. Following early mass on the morning of September 16, 1810, Hidalgo made his famous "Grito De Dolores," a call to arms which in effect began the revolt that led to Mexican independence from Spain in 1821. During a battle on the Bridge of Calderon, Padre Hidalgo was captured and later was unfrocked and shot. Considered "The Father of Mexican Independence," Padre Hidalgo continues to be honored for his leadership throughout Mexico and the Southwest. (1983)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Hidalgo County takes its name from Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla (1753–1811), the parish priest whose 1810 "Grito de Dolores" launched the war for Mexican independence from Spain. A champion of human rights who taught farming and trades to the poor of his parish, Hidalgo conspired with Ignacio de Allende against colonial rule before he was captured, unfrocked, and executed. Honored across Mexico and the Southwest as the Father of Mexican Independence, his legacy is woven into the Hispanic heritage of the Texas borderlands.
Why it matters
The name of a South Texas county keeps alive the memory of the movement that reshaped the entire region, reminding travelers that this borderland's history is deeply Mexican as well as American.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla
- · Ignacio de Allende
Related events
- · Grito de Dolores
- · Mexican War of Independence
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
American Legion Hall
Donna, TX
Dedicated in 1920, just a year after World War I veterans founded the American Legion, Donna's Border Post No. 107 claimed the distinction of being the first Legion hall built or owned by any post anywhere in the world. It rose in a small Rio Grande Valley town whose returning soldiers wanted a permanent home for fellowship and service. The state recognized its significance as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1964.
Juan Davis Bradburn
Mission, TX
John Davis Bradburn was a Virginia-born, Kentucky-raised adventurer who entered Mexico in 1817 to fight for its independence from Spain, later becoming a naturalized citizen and marrying into a prominent family. As the Mexican commander at Anahuac in 1830–32, his clashes with Anglo colonists helped ignite the tensions that led toward the Texas Revolution. Promoted to general in 1832, he died a decade later and is said to be buried on a nearby hill.
El Granjeno Cemetery
Mission, TX
El Granjeno Cemetery began in 1872 with the burial of Don Antonio Garza, on land his brother Don Juan Garza Escheverria donated for the villages of El Granjeno and Madero. A native of Reynosa, Mexico, Don Juan lies here among many of his descendants, alongside veterans of the Civil War, World War I, and the Vietnam War. The graveyard has long served families on both banks of the Rio Grande.
Elder B. Barton
Hidalgo, TX
Born in New York City in 1806, Elder B. Barton threw in his lot with the Texas cause and fought at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836, the decisive clash that secured the Republic of Texas's independence. Settling along the lower Rio Grande, he married Santitos Balli of Matamoros, raised sixteen children, and parlayed his veteran land grants and a supply business into a lasting mark on Hidalgo County's frontier economy. He died on his ranch in 1884, a bridge between the Anglo republic and the older Mexican society of the borderlands.