S1 • E4 Sep 30, 2010
At age 45, Morelos joined the struggle against Spanish rule that had begun with his mentor, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. His military campaigns across what are now the states of Michoacán, Guerrero, and Oaxaca brought him fame, but even more transcendent was his vision of an egalitarian, sovereign republic governed not by military leaders, but institutions. Unjustly imprisoned and tried, Morelos was shot and killed, but his Sentiments of a Nation live on as Mexico's declaration of independence.
