Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla was a Roman Catholic priest and a leader of the Mexican War of Independence. He is considered a national hero in Mexico. He was born in 1753 in the town of Dolores, in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico. He was educated at the University of Valladolid in Michoacán and was ordained a priest in 1778. He served as a parish priest in several towns in Guanajuato and became known for his liberal ideas. In 1810, he led a group of rebels in an uprising against Spanish rule. The uprising was unsuccessful, and Hidalgo was captured and executed by the Spanish authorities the following year.