Insurgent troops, following Miguel Hidalgo's failed attempt…
January 1811 CE
Unable to defend positions at Aculco, where Calleja's army had intercepted the insurgents, Hidalgo decided to continue his army's retreat towards Guadalajara.
The insurgent army, numbering approximately one hundred thousand, takes up a defensive position at the Bridge of Calderón, where the road from Guanajuato to Guadalajara crosses the Calderón River.
Ignacio Allende commands the troops at the position.
Calleja's forces, which numbers only six thousand but are better equipped than the insurgent forces, arrive at the Bridge on January 16.
As the battle ensues, Royalist artillery strikes an insurgent ammunition wagon, causing it to explode.
The explosion disperses much of the insurgent force, giving victory to the much smaller but better disciplined and equipped Royalist forces.
Insurgent forces flee northwards after losing the battle with Royalist troops following them.
The insurgents' defeat in this battle is effectively a turning point in the War of Independence and results in a ten-year delay before insurgent victory and independence can be achieved.