By Luis Felipe Rodríguez
Ignacio Aldama González was born on February 7, 1764. He was the son of Domingo de Aldama and Francisca Antonia González de Rivadeneira, both originally from the kingdom of Castile, in Spain. He was baptized on February 10, and was married to María Josefa Marmolejo García.
Aldama studied law in Mexico City, but eventually dedicated himself to agricultural work. On September 16, 1810, the War of Independence from Spain began with “el Grito”—the call for freedom in the town of Dolores. He was appointed president of the First San Miguel City Council, and later joined the insurgent ranks at Campo Mariscal. He accompanied Ignacio Allende to Guanajuato and Guadalajara. He also contributed to the publication of El Despertador Americano—the American wake-up call—a newspaper published by the insurgents.
When the royalist troops, led by Félix María Calleja were approaching San Miguel, Aldama fled with his family. He met with the bulk of the insurgents shortly before the battle of Aculco on December 7, 1810. He was appointed ambassador to the United States and was entrusted with the task of getting armaments. He managed to get to Béjar with relative ease, but was captured by the royalists, led by Zambrano. He was transferred to Monclova where a summary trial was performed. On June 18, 1811, he published a manifesto apologizing for his actions, but two days later he was executed. He died eight days before the main leaders of the independence movement—Ignacio Allende and Miguel Hidalgo faced a firing squad on June 26, 1811, not even a year after the start of the War of Independence.
