The bells were first rung in the town of Dolores, Mexico, to acknowledge Mexican independence. According to legend, on September 16, 1810, Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang the church bell in Dolores to summon his parishioners and gave the call to arms that ignited the Mexican War of Independence. This event is famously known as the "Cry of Dolores" (Grito de Dolores)