Ignacio López Rayón (July 31, 1773 – February 2, 1832) was a general who led the insurgent forces of his country after Miguel Hidalgo's death, during the first years of the Mexican War of Independence.

López Rayón was born in Tlalpujahua, Intendancy of Valladolid, the first son of Andrés Mariano López-Rayón Piña (1742–1805) and María Josefa Rafaela López-Aguado y López-Bolaños (1754–1822).

He lived in Mexico City but when his father got sick he had to go back to Morelia to take control of the family business (agriculture and mining) and the post office in the town.

Rayón sent him a letter with the idea of creating a group of people to represent the power of Fernando VII to try to stop the waste of resources.

The Spanish tried to capture Rayón but he escaped and joined Miguel Hidalgo's troops in Maravatío.

He organized the provisional government with José María Chico as president, Pascasio Ortiz de Letona as ambassador and Francisco Severo Maldonado as chief editor of the first newspaper of the rebellion: El Despertador Americano (in English: The American Watchclock).

Miguel Hidalgo's army was defeated in the Battle of Calderon Bridge and Rayón escaped to Aguascalientes to join Rafael Iriarte.

In this travel Miguel Hidalgo, Ignacio Allende and the others were captured in Wells of Baján and sentenced to death.

Once in Zacatecas, Rayón spent most of the time with his army, training, getting uniforms and improving his war techniques.

He sent Torres to Pátzcuaro and Uruapan, Navarrete to Zacapu, Mariano Caneiga to Panindícuaro and Manuel Muñiz to Tacámbaro.

They created the first revolutionary newspaper, the El Ilustrador Nacional edited by Andrés Quintana Roo and José María Cos. Because the importance of Rayón, the Spanish sent an assassin J. Arnoldo but he failed and was killed.

After the Zitacuaro events, Rayón took part with José María Morelos in the first National Congress at Chilpancingo.