At the historical museum, in Ignacio Allende’s home across from the cathedral, our gallery wanderings were interrupted by an invitation to a play about Allende, set on the eve of his execution by the Spanish. I got the drift, and later Elissa filled me in about some of the details I missed. It inspired me to read more about Allende, Hidalgo and the early days of the uprising against Spain in 1810.

Although Allende and Hidalgo agreed on independence, they disagreed on much, particularly how to wage war. Allende, the professional soldier, was aghast at Hidalgo’s encouragement of the looting of towns and the executions of all Spaniards they came across. Hidalgo argued that the violence was necessary and that without the promise of loot most of their army would desert. Not all of the army was made up of angry peasants: there were some Creole army regiments, and these were almost all loyal to Allende: when the two men split up, most of the professional soldiers went to Guanajuato with Allende.

Mexican Independence: Biography of Ignacio Allende by Christopher Minster