Currently the population of Izúcar is known as a heroic city . This is due to the brave performance of its inhabitants in the battle that took place in this town during the war of independence. Battle of Izúcar

Certainly, this was not a battle of great renown, but it was key for the strengthening of the independence movement , as well as for the discovery of war talents as it was in the case of the inhabitants of the town of Izúcar, as it happened with Mariano Matamoros, who became the right hand of José María Morelos, thanks to his skills in the field of war.

This offensive was developed as a result of the taking of the populations of Tlapa, Chiautla and Chietla, which were under the control of the insurgent army led by José María Morelos, which decided to go with his troops to the town of Izúcar where he would receive the support of its inhabitants.

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Where and when did the Battle of Izúcar take place?

On December 10, 1811, José María Morelos went to the town of Izúcar, in the current state of southern Mexico, Puebla , where he was received with joy and enthusiasm by its inhabitants, who were in agreement with the independence movement. The glare of the independence movement and the atmosphere of a possible battle, made the inhabitants of this town prepare to defend themselves and support the insurgent army. In view of the presence of Morelos and his troops in that place near the city of Puebla, where part of the religious and civil authorities of the Spanish empire were, they caused the authorities to send royalist troops, who faced the insurgents on the December 17, 1811 . Battle of Izúcar

Preparations for the Battle of Izúcar

When the Spanish authorities based in the city of Puebla learned of the presence of Morelos in the town of Izúcar, they feared that an attack on the city of Puebla would be organized from there. For this reason, the commander of the royalist army, Ciriaco de Llano sent a contingent of 600 men who were under the command of Colonel Miguel Soto y Maceda in order to attack and contain the troops commanded by Morelos.

While the royalist troops were heading to the town of Izúcar, Morelos was preparing the population for its defense . It was when the priest, Mariano Matamoros, who served as a parish priest in the neighboring town of Jantetelco, appeared. When he presented himself, he described himself as a servant of the nation, with the intention of participating in the military actions that were seen in the area.

Similarly, some people who accompanied Matamoros placed themselves at the command of Morelos, thus increasing the war contingent of the rebel army. After this meeting, both Morelos and Matamoros officiated a mass in which they invited Izucarenses to participate in the struggle for the independence of Mexico . This action motivated the inhabitants of Izúcar to lend their support by taking stones and whatever weapons they had at their disposal.

Development

Finally, on December 17, 1811, the royalist army commanded by Miguel Soto and Maceda arrived at the town of Izúcar where they began an attack from both flanks . One of the flanks was attacked by the royalist lieutenant Pedro Micheo, who together with his military contingent seized the Calvario hill in order to undertake their attack from that point. On the other flank, Miguel Soto y Maceda was stationed, who went with his royalist troops on the main square (currently known as the zócalo). Battle of Izúcar

Once present in the square, the royalist army found a people prepared for attack and defense. The insurgent army was prepared with rifle and artillery. On the other hand, the inhabitants of the town were armed with arrows, slings and stones . Thus began a strong confrontation that lasted for a period of five hours, in which the royalist army tried to dominate the battle in vain.

As the warfare unfolded, General Miguel Soto y Maceda was seriously wounded by a bullet in the belly and head . In his imminent death he left the command of the battle in the hands of Captain Mariano Ortiz , who decided to undertake the withdrawal of the royalist army towards the Galarza hill, located north of Izúcar.

At nightfall the insurgent army attacked again, causing great confusion in the royalist army, who fled, leaving artillery pieces behind. At 11 o’clock at night the insurgents stopped the attack, a circumstance that the royalists took advantage of to begin their withdrawal from the battlefield to go back to the city of Puebla, in this way the victory of the insurgent army over the royalist army was sealed in the Battle of Izúcar . Battle of Izúcar

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Sides and characters

• Ciriaco de Llano : He was a Spanish military man who supported the royalist troops during the Mexican war of independence. He was a frigate captain and in 1811 he faced his first battle in the Llanos de Apan against the insurgents in which he was victorious. Later, it would fail in the Battle of Izúcar in the hands of Matamoros.
• José María Morelos : He was born on September 30, 1765. He first served as a priest, however in the midst of the independence movements, he decided to join the Mexican insurgent army, in which he would achieve important victories as a generalissimo of the libertarian army. He launched a movement that would emanate the first Mexican constitution and the nation’s first attempt at independence. Finally, he would be captured by the royalist forces and shot on December 22, 1815.
• Mariano Matamoros : He was born in Mexico City on August 14, 1770 and died on February 3, 1814. He was a Mexican priest who participated in the Mexican War of Independence. He served in the military from 1810 until his death in 1814. He successfully participated in various battles that contributed to Mexican independence.
• Miguel Soto y Maceda and Pedro Micheo : Miguel Soto y Maceda was a colonel who was in charge of the royalist offensive that was carried out in the town of Izúcar, a battle in which he lost his life. Pedro Micheo was a lieutenant general who accompanied Soto and Maceda in Izúcar. After the death of Maceda he took command of the army with which he fled when he was defeated and overcome by the rebels. Battle of Izúcar