<answer>Hidalgo</answer> is hailed as the Father of the Nation even though it was Agustin de Iturbide and not <answer>Hidalgo</answer> who achieved Mexican Independence in 1821. Shortly after gaining independence, the day to celebrate it varied between September 16, the day of <answer>Hidalgo</answer>'s Grito, and September 27, the day Iturbide rode into Mexico City to end the war. Later, political movements would favor the more liberal <answer>Hidalgo</answer> over the conservative Iturbide, so that eventually September 16, 1810 became the officially recognized day of Mexican independence. The reason for this is that <answer>Hidalgo</answer> is considered to be "precursor and creator of the rest of the heroes of the (Mexican War of) Independence." <answer>Hidalgo</answer> has become an icon for Mexicans who resist tyranny in the country. Diego Rivera painted <answer>Hidalgo</answer>'s image in half a dozen murals. José Clemente Orozco depicted him with a flaming torch of liberty and considered the painting among his best work. David Alfaro Siqueiros was commissioned by San Nicolas University in Morelia to paint a mural for a celebration commemorating the 200th anniversary of <answer>Hidalgo</answer>'s birth. The town of his parish was renamed Dolores <answer>Hidalgo</answer> in his honor and the state of <answer>Hidalgo</answer> was created in 1869. Every year on the night of 15–16 September, the president of Mexico re-enacts the Grito from the balcony of the National Palace. This scene is repeated by the heads of cities and towns all over Mexico. The remains of Miguel <answer>Hidalgo</answer> y Costilla lie in the column of the Angel of Independence in Mexico City. Next to it is a lamp lit to represent the sacrifice of those who gave their lives for Mexican Independence.
Who was hailed as the Father of the Nation?
Hidalgo