This is an abridged excerpt from my book on Hidalgo, Pandora and Lilith, Harbingers of the Modern World.
Asteroid 944 Hidalgo was named for Father Miguel Hidalgo, the father of Mexican independence. The Spanish word hidalgo is a contraction of hijo de algo, meaning "son of somebody," and is a term applied to the lesser nobility of Spain, the lowest in the aristocratic hierarchy entitle to precede their names with the title Don.
The Bible is replete with stories of heroes and armies prevailing against much stronger opponents; those without faith would say they didn't stand a chance—and without faith they wouldn't. But faith alone isn't enough; Father Hidalgo would have been more successful with military advisers and a larger and better army, one better trained and disciplined and armed. As the Iranian proverb says, "Trust in God, but tie your camel tight." In other words, God will help you, but not fight your battles for you.
Hidalgo is an assertive, ambitious, intense and rather rash factory, oriented around faith and requiring discipline—control, enlightenment—to handle constructively. It is a defender, a protector, a crusader, a fighter for space and for independence, an inspirer, a dealer in father figures, often a martyred hero. Or, a fool who is the author of his/her own ruin or self-damage and the ruin or damage of others. The difference is made by enlightenment. Hidalgo's message is two-fold: Believe in yourself, your cause, and God, and you will prevail, if all your ducks are in a row. Go charging into the thick of battle (and life is a battle) with half a heart and no idea how you're going to win—and you will be defeated.
The emblem of the warriors of Father Hidalgo was a picture of an aspect of the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, felt to be uniquely Mexican. This apparition of the Virgin Mary appeared to a poor Indian named Juan Diego in 1521, asking that a chapel be built in her honor at Tepeyacac, now called Villa Guadalupe or Villa Madero, about four miles north of the center of Mexico City. This was actually a shrine to the Aztec goddess Tonantzin, or "Our Mother," who represents female power. Tonantzin in one of her aspects is La Llorona, "the weeping woman," the night demon or witch of Mexican legend who wails at night for her dead children, the sufferer at the hands of humanity, the hater of humanity.
Hidalgo, therefore, is a masculine mask for the female power that seeks to produce and to heal. Failure to use Hidalgo properly results in not just Ate (rash, foolish and discord-sowing) behavior, but also the avatar or behavior of La Llorona, arising from hate and insecurity, which must be rectified, purged from the system.
(1999)