Battles & Campaigns · 1812
Siege of Cuautla
Cuautla, Morelos, Mexico
What happened
Mexican rebels under José María Morelos, with Hermenegildo Galeana and Mariano Matamoros, held Cuautla against Spanish royalists under Félix María Calleja. Calleja's first attack failed, so he surrounded the town. The rebels held out for 72 days (the Morelos biography says 58) while food ran short and illness spread. On the night of 2 May they broke out and left.
Why it matters
Both sides claimed victory. The siege ended Morelos's hope of marching on Mexico City.
What came next
Morelos kept fighting in the south and took the city of Oaxaca in November 1812. Calleja later became viceroy.
Did you know?
A 12-year-old boy, Narciso Mendoza, is said to have fired a cannon that scattered royalist horsemen.
Timeline
- 19 Feb 1812Calleja's first attack fails.
- 2 May 1812Rebels break out of Cuautla.
- 25 Nov 1812Morelos enters Oaxaca.
- Mar 1813Calleja becomes viceroy.