Dia de la Independencia, September 16th, 2005

The date was September 15, 2005 and we were in Coyoacan, a well known artist/bohemian neighborhood in the south of the city. I had three friends in town from the city of Monterrey, 8 hours to the north of Mexico City. Juan, Raul and Iliana joined Marcela and I and we headed out to celebrate what is called "el Grito de Dolores," or the "Shout from Dolores." Dolores is a small town in the central state of Guanajuato where Don Miguel Hidalgo, a criollo and the town's parish priest, in 1810 rang the church bell and ignited Mexico's fight for independence from Spanish rule with a famous speech ending in, "Viva Mexico!"

Nowadays, the annual Independence Day celebration involves the gathering of Mexicans in central plazas within their respective cities or neighborhoods to participate in a reenactment of Hidalgo's speech, which always involves "Viva...!" and the names of important historical figures from the Independence and Revolutionary movements. For the young crowd, intensely motivated by the pride of their ancestors, it also involves some beer and of course a round or two of tequila,



the national flag,


silk screens small enough to plaster your the national colors on your face,


and fireworks,


all finished up with some late night snacking.