Mexico Celebrates 200 Years of Independence

It’s the year of the bicentennial and an exciting time to be in Mexico!  In 2010 Mexico celebrates the 200th anniversary of its independence from Spain and the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution. Mexico has been preparing for the occasion for quite some time now, mapping out tourist routes throughout the interior of the country, improving infrastructure and roadways, hosting a variety of cultural events and exhibitions, renovating Plaza Garibaldi and constructing a new metro line in Mexico City.

With just under two weeks remaining until the Independence Day holiday, cities and towns across the country are preparing for extravagant celebrations and fiestas to honor the big day.

Independence Day in Mexico is celebrated each year on September 16th, however many of the events to mark the occasion take place a day earlier on September 15th. And there’s no better place to celebrate the holiday than in the capital, Mexico City. This year there a variety of events planned including concerts, performances, aerial choreographies, parades and fireworks displays.

The annual Independence Day celebrations typically draw crowds of more than half a million people to Mexico City’s historic center and this year it’s expected that the crowds will exceed one million people.

The highlight of the Independence Day celebrations – the delivery of the grito or cry of Independence by Mexican president Felipe Calderon in the Mexico City zócalo (map) – takes place on the evening of September 15th at 11:00pm. It’s the culminating moment of the festivities and recreates the moment when Father Hidalgo gathered his followers in Dolores Guanajuato marking the beginning of the Independence War back in 1810. During the ceremony the crowds join in shouting the names of the heroes of Mexican Independence and ending with emotional cries of Viva Mexico!

After the ceremony dramatic fireworks displays light up the sky over the zócalo. The following day on the September 16th the bell placed atop the National Palace – said to be the original bell rung by Hidalgo – is rung and a military parade makes its way through the streets of the historic center. The celebrations continue throughout the month of September, known across the country as the Mes de la Patria (Month of the Nation), and again in mid-November when Mexico celebrates the centennial of its Revolution on November 20th.

For a detailed listing of bicentennial events taking place in Mexico City visit Mexico City Experience and for more information about the bicentennial and centennial celebrations visit Mexico 2010 (both in English).