José María Morelos

José María Teclo Morelos Pérez y Pavón (Spanish: [xoˈse maˈɾi.a ˈteklo moˈɾelos ˈpeɾes i paˈβon] ^ⓘ) (30 September 1765 – 22 December 1815) was a Mexican Catholic priest, statesman and military leader who led the Mexican War of Independence movement, assuming its leadership after the execution of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla in 1811.

Born in Valladolid, Michoacán, Morelos studied at Colegio de San Nicolás and was appointed priest of Carácuaro in 1799. He joined Miguel Hidalgo's Cry of Dolores, soon becoming an insurgency leader. Aided by local peoples, along with revolutionary leaders Mariano Matamoros and Ignacio López Rayón, Morelos occupied territories in southern and central New Spain, leading the Siege of Cuautla and capturing Acapulco, New Spain's main port in the Pacific Ocean. His campaigns galvanized regional insurgencies against Spanish rule, which made him the royalist army's main rival.

In 1813, Morelos wrote Sentimientos de la Nación, a document influenced by the Constitution of Cádiz where he outlined his program for the Mexican nation. Under his leadership, the Congress of Anáhuac was installed in Chilpancingo, and on 6 November 1813 declared the independence of Mexico. On 22 October 1814, the Constitution of Apatzingán drafted by Congress declared that Mexico would be a Republic.

After a series of defeats, Morelos was captured by the royalist army in Temalaca, Puebla. He was tried by the Inquisition, defrocked as a cleric, and executed by civil authorities in San Cristóbal Ecatepec on 22 December 1815. Morelos is considered a national hero in Mexico, who despite not having a military background became a successful insurgency leader, credited with organizing and bolstering the War of Independence. The Mexican state of Morelos and city of Morelia are named after him.