The Mexican War of Independence from the Spanish crown after a dominion of almost 300 years started on September 16th, 1810, and ended on September 27, 1821. Officially, it began with the famous Cry of Dolores (Grito de Dolores). On September 16th, 1810, Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang the church bell in the small town of Dolores and gave the call to arms. Eleven years later, Mexico was an independent nation.

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The events that led to the outbreak of the war:

• Social inequality had favored the privileged Spanish upper class for centuries.

• New nations started to emerge: the United States of America in 1776 and the First Republic of France in 1792.

• Spain was facing a period of instability as it was occupied by Napoleonic France in 1808. 

• Ferdinand VII and his father Charles IV were forced to abdicate, and Napoleon Bonaparte brought his brother Joseph Bonaparte to the Spanish throne. 

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The first stage of the war (1810-1811)

• In 1810, Miguel Hidalgo, Juan Aldama and Ignacio Allende took part in the Querétaro Conspiracy. They were supporting Ferdinand VII's return to the throne as they believed he would surely concede more autonomy to New Spain. 

• The Cry of Dolores took place soon after the conspiracy was revealed. Miguel Hidalgo convened the people of the town of Dolores and gave the call to arms that triggered the war. The movement was defeated in January 1811 and Hidalgo, Aldama and Allende were captured and executed. 

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The second stage of the war (1811-1815)

• José María Morelos and Ignacio López Rayón became the new leaders of the rebellion. 

• Morelos's forces occupied provinces and land was distributed among the people in central and southern Mexico.

• In 1813 Morelos convened the Congress of Anáhuac where it was established that sovereignty belonged to the people, slavery was abolished, the caste system was cancelled, and the powers were divided into executive, legislative and judicial.

• The Constitution of Apatzingán became the first Mexican constitution.

• Spanish General Félix María Calleja continued to persecute the insurgents.

• Morelos was captured and executed by the royalist troops, which were under the command of Agustín de Iturbide.

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The third stage of the war (1815-1820)

• Ferdinand VII returned to power in 1814, but he was not the lenient monarch Mexicans imagined he would be. He did not recognize the Mexican constitution.

• The insurgents continued to fight and they formed guerrillas. New leaders emerged: Vicente Guerrero, Guadalupe Victoria and Nicolás Bravo.

• Royalist soldier Agustín de Iturbide disliked the fact that Ferdinand VII accepted the Constitution of Cádiz, the first constitution of Spain, ratified in 1812. 

• Not agreeing with the new liberal rule that was starting in Spain, Iturbide tried to maintain traditional values in Mexico and for this he was willing to change sides and negotiate with the insurgents. 

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The fourth stage of the war (1821)

• Agustín de Iturbide and Vicente Guerrero ended their fight.

• Iturbide put forth the Plan of Iguala for the independence of Mexico, and the insurgents reconciled with the royalists and formed the Army of the Three Guarantees (el Ejército Trigarante). The three guarantees were the defence of independence, the Catholic religion and unity.

• Mexican independence from Spain was established in the Treaty of Córdoba, signed by Agustín de Iturbide, leader of the Army of the Three Guarantees (el Ejército Trigarante), and Juan O'Donojú, the last viceroy of New Spain.

• The First Mexican Empire emerged.

Soon after the war, the short-lived First Mexican Empire (1822-1823) was born and it was ruled by Agustín de Iturbide. It was replaced by a provisional government, and in 1824 the First Federal Republic was created.

So Mexico celebrates its Independence Day on September 16th, not on May 5th, as I've heard some people saying. May 5th (Cinco de Mayo) is an important holiday across the United States in the Mexican communities and not only, but it is not Mexico's National Day. May 5th is the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla that occurred in 1862 between the army of the Mexican Republic, led by Ignacio Zaragoza, and the army of the Second French Empire, led by Charles de Lorencez, who fought under Napoleon III. The Mexican army won the battle on May 5th 1862, but they lost the war the following year. As a result, the Second Mexican Empire was formed in 1863 and Austrian archduke Maximilian I became its emperor.