The Mourner of Hidalgo

The flag known as “El Doliente de Hidalgo” (“The Mourner of Hidalgo”) is a small banner, about 65 centimeters tall and 71 centimeters wide. On the front, against a red background, the upper part reads “El doliente de Hidalgo” (“The Mourner of Hidalgo”) and the lower part says “De à 12” in black letters. At the center is a black cross with a skull and two crossed bones. On each of the four arms of the cross, red and white triangles overlap to form star-like shapes. The exact origins of this flag remain uncertain due to the lack of documents, but it is considered one of the first used by insurgents during Mexico’s War of Independence. It is believed to have been carried by the so-called “Battalion of Death”, a military group formed in 1811 to avenge the recent execution of Miguel Hidalgo, the first leader of the uprising. The phrase “El doliente de Hidalgo” may refer to a biblical passage about the “Man of Sorrows” from the prophet Isaiah, symbolically connecting Hidalgo’s death with the idea of sacrifice that announced a new beginning.