Estandarte de la Virgen de Guadalupe

Shortly after launching the uprising in September 1810, Hidalgo took a banner bearing the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe from the sanctuary of Atotonilco and turned it into the flag of the insurgents. The Virgin of Guadalupe was venerated by Indigenous people, mestizos, and criollos alike, which gave the movement broad popular appeal.

The royalist side, by contrast, rallied around the Virgin of Los Remedios — a useful contrast to remember.