~ from a Texas Historical Marker in the county seat of Hidalgo County (visit link) ~ Padre Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla
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 Delores," 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.
Smithsonian Description Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla stands with a Christian flag and staff in his proper left hand and a quill in his proper right hand. He wears a mid-calf length coat with lapels, with a belt around the waist, tied on the proper left. The sculpture is mounted on a rectangular tapered base, painted white. The sculpture is surrounded by a wrought iron fence.
Revised InscriptionCOMO UN HOMENAJE A DON MIGUEL
HIDALGO Y COSTILLA, PADRE DE NUESTRA
PATRIA Y LOS HEROES QUE COMO EL
LUCHARON POR LA LIBERTAD DE
AMERICA,EL ESTADO DE TAMAULIPAS
DON ESTA ESTATUA DEL PADRE DE LA
PATRIA A LA CIUDAD DE HIDALGO, TEXAS.
ENRIQUE CARDENAS GONZALEZ
GOBERNADOR CONSTITUTIONAL DE
TAMAULIPAS
MAYO 8 DE 1976
IN HONOR OF DON MIGUEL HIDALGO Y COSTILLA, FATHER OF
OUR COUNTRY AND TO THE HEROES WHO FOUGHT WITH HIM
FOR THE LIBERTY OF AMERICA, THE STATE OF TAMAULIPAS
PRESENTS THIS STATUE OF OUR COUNTRY'S FATHER OF THE
CITY OF HIDALGO, TEXAS.
ENRIQUE CARDENAS GONZALEZ
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF TAMAULIPAS
MAY 8, 1976
CITY OF HIDALGO, TEXAS
MAYOR-EDUARDO C. VELA
ALDERMAN
JUAN DAVILA - JOEL RODRIGUEZ
PAUL HENDERSON
ANDRES E. CHAVEZ JR. - NICOLAS MONTEMAYOR