Grito De Dolores
Fearing his arrest, Hidalgo commanded his brother Mauricio, as well as Ignacio Allende and Abasolo to go with a number of other armed men to make the sheriff release the inmates there on the night of 15 September They managed to set eighty free.
On the morning of the 16th, Hidalgo called Mass, which was attended by about 300, including hacienda owners, local politicians and Spaniards. There he gave what is now known as the Grito de Dolores (Cry, or Shout, of Dolores), calling the people of his parish to leave their homes and join with him to struggle against the viceregal government.
Hidalgo's Grito did not condemn the notion of monarchy or criticize the current social order in detail, but his opposition to the events in Spain and the current viceregal government was clearly expressed in his reference to bad government. The Grito also emphasized loyalty to the Catholic religion, a sentiment with which both Creoles and Peninsulares could sympathize; however, the strong anti-Spanish cry of "Death to the Gachupines" (Gachupines was a name also given to Peninsulares) probably caused horror among Mexico's elite.
Read more about this topic: Miguel Hidalgo Y Costilla