Hidalgo Captured and Executed — Morelos Takes Command

After early military setbacks, Hidalgo was captured near Chihuahua and executed by firing squad on July 30, 1811. He was first degraded from the priesthood in a theatrical ceremony; his head and those of three other executed leaders (Allende, Jiménez, Aldama) were displayed in cages at the Alhóndiga de Granaditas in Guanajuato for 10 years as a warning. Command passed to José María Morelos, a mestizo priest who proved a more effective military strategist and political thinker.