septiembre: Independence Day

Happy 4th of July… I mean, 16th of September.

Early on September 16th, 1810, a priest by the name of Miguel Hidalgo rang the church bells to call the people to mass, but instead called them to rise up and fight for independence against the Spanish. The war for independence lasted about a decade but it is celebrated in Mexico on the night of September 16th with ringing of the bells and a Hidalgo-like "grito" (shout) in the main plazas all around the country (and even in other countries where there is large Mexican populations).

I celebrated the Mexican Independence Day by attending the "grito" in the center of Cuernavaca. The plaza was packed solid and the surrounding streets were closed off and filled with street vendors of every type. Some sold cheap souvenirs, some sold specialty arts and crafts. Some sold street food that would surely have made my weak foreigner's stomach keel over and die.

Sarah and I went with Jenn's Mexican family and one of Jenn's work friends. We strolled the crowded streets together, linking arms to stay together, and inched and elbowed our way into the center for a better view. At 11pm, the grito started with rounds of different things, "Viva la Independencia… Viva la Libertad… Viva Hidalgo… Viva Mexico" after each one we responded "¡Viva!" Following the grito were fireworks and music - sounds familiar, no? Afterwards, we slowly bumped our way out of the crowd and hesitantly made our way home.