History of Guanajuato: El Pípila

Published August 24, 2022

By Luis Felipe Rodríguez

After El Pípila’s heroic actions at the Alhóndiga de Granaditas in 1810, possibly carried out to protect his family from reprisals by the Spaniards, he and his family moved to San Miguel el Grande (now San Miguel de Allende). There, he bought a small house and some land.

Shortly thereafter, in the courtyard of the San Pedro barracks, Father Miguel Hidalgo appointed El Pípila a captain in consideration of the services he had rendered in the insurgents’ cause. Without his intervention in burning down the door to the Alhóndiga in Guanajuato, the fortress could not have been taken so quickly. El Pípila was assigned to the Fourth Infantry Company, Hidalgo’s personal escort battalion.

On October 10 of 1810, Hidalgo and his army, including El Pípila, left Guanajuato. They passed through many towns, and finally reached Valladolid (now Morelia) on October 17, where the residents welcomed them with open arms. The insurgents continued on toward Mexico City. At Monte de las Cruces, on October 30, they encountered the Royalists and engaged in battle, which they won. Then they headed for Querétaro, and once again engaged in battle with the Royalists at Aculco, but they were defeated. In Guadalajara they again suffered a defeat at the Calderón Bridge. At this point, Ignacio López Rayón was appointed head of the revolution, while the main leaders continued north towards the United States to acquire war supplies.

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San Miguel de Allende’s only weekly bilingual newspaper Atención San Miguel was founded in in 1976, as a social enterprise of La Biblioteca de San Miguel de Allende. Atencion San Miguel and the what-to-do guide, Que Pasa give the widest coverage of news, cultural events and community activities in the vibrant World Heritage listed city of San Miguel de Allende. Published by volunteers of La Biblioteca over the years it has become the largest enterprise of the non-profit organization La Biblioteca de San Miguel de Allende. The newspaper contributes funds for La Biblioteca programs in education and cultural development for the children of San Miguel de Allende. Its mission is to educate, entertain, inform and influence.