The first stamps of Mexico were issued – engraved and imperforate – in 1856. They showed a portrait of Miguel Hidalgo Y Costilla. Most of Mexico’s stamps issued through1881 displayed this national hero. The Roman Catholic priest was a leader in Mexico’s War of Independence (1810-21) and is considered “the father of Mexican Independence”. Maximillian I was installed as Emperor of Mexico by France’s Napoleon III. He appears on four lithographed imperforate stamps of 1866. Later that year an engraved set of the same design was issued, replacing the poorly printed earlier stamps. Many early stamps of Mexico have rouletted or irregular perforations, as well as overprinted names of districts, dates, and numbers.