Editing History of Mexico (section)

===Prelude to independence===
[[File:Viceroy José de Iturrigaray.jpg|thumb|right|Viceroy [[José de Iturrigaray]]]]
Inspired by the American and French Revolutions, Mexican insurgents saw an opportunity for independence in 1808 when Napoleon invaded Spain, and the Spanish king [[Charles IV of Spain|Charles IV]] was forced to surrender. Napoleon placed his brother [[Joseph Bonaparte]] on the Spanish throne. In New Spain, viceroy [[José de Iturrigaray]] proposed to provisionally form an autonomous government, with the support of American-born Spaniards on the [[Cabildo (council)|city council]] of Mexico City. Peninsular-born Spaniards in the colony saw this as undermining their power, and [[Gabriel J. de Yermo]] led a coup against the viceroy, arresting him in September 1808. Spanish conspirators named Spanish military officer [[Pedro de Garibay]] viceroy. His tenure was brief, from September 1808 until July 1809, when he was replaced by [[Francisco Javier de Lizana y Beaumont]], whose tenure was also short until the arrival of viceroy [[Francisco Javier Venegas]] from Spain. Two days after he entered Mexico City on 14 September 1810, Father [[Miguel Hidalgo]] called to arms in the village of Hidalgo. France and the Spanish king invaded Spain, was deposed, and [[Joseph Bonaparte]] imposed. New Spain's viceroy [[José de Iturrigaray]], sympathetic to Creoles, sought to create a legitimate government but was overthrown by powerful Peninsular Spaniards; hard-line Spaniards clamped down on any notion of Mexican autonomy. Creoles who had hoped that there was a path to Mexican autonomy, perhaps within the Spanish Empire, now saw that their only path was independence through rebellion.