"Mexican Independance Day"
Mexican Independence Day September 15-16
Nationwide celebrations of Mexico's Independence Declaration from Spain in 1810. "El Grito," a re-enactment of Father Hidalgo's call for his countrymen to join the uprising, is performed at 11:00 p.m., the night of the 15th, in most town squares. The President presides at the ceremony in Mexico City's Constitution Square. The whole country is basically closed for these two days. Shortly before dawn on September 16, 1810, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla made a monumentous decision that revolutionized the course of Mexican history. Within hours, Hidalgo, a Catholic priest in the village of Dolores, ordered the arrest of Dolores’ native Spaniards. Then Hidalgo rang the church bell as he customarily did to call the indians to mass. The message that Hidalgo gave to the indians and mestizos called them to retaliate against the hated gachopines or native Spaniards who had exploited and oppressed Mexicans for ten generations. Although a movement toward Mexican independence had already been in progress since Napoleon’s conquest of Spain, Hidalgo’s passionate declaration was a swift, unpremeditated decision. "Mexicanos, Viva México!" Hidalgo told the Mexicans who were the members of New Spain’s lowest caste. He urged the exploited and embittered Mexicans to recover the lands that was stolen from their forefathers. That he was calling these people to revolution was a radical change in the original revolution plot devised by the criollos (Mexican-born Spaniards). Groups of criollos across Mexico had been plotting to overthrow the authority of gachopines who, because of their Spanish nativity, had legal and social priority over the criollos. When Joseph Bonaparte replaced King Ferdinand as the leader of Spain, the criollos recognized a prime opportunity for Mexican sovereignity. The nucleus of this movement was a group of intellectuals in Querétaro led by the corregidor of Querétaro, his wife and a group of army officers distinguished by the adventurous Ignacio Allende. The criollos plan for revolution did not originally focus on the manpower of the Mexicans. Rather, the criollos sought to avoid military confrontation by convincing criollo army officers to sever their allegiance to the gachopines. By claiming loyalty to the defeated King Ferdinand, the criollos aimed to establish Mexico as an independent nation within King Ferdinand’s Spanish empire. The gachopines who claimed authority under Bonaparte’s rule would be driven out of Mexico. Hidalgo had close ties with this group. Approaching sixty years of age, Hidalgo was beloved and greatly respected by Mexicans. Once the dean of the College of San Nicolas at Valladolid in Michoacan (now Morelia), Hidalgo was a well-educated, courageous humanitarian. He was sympathetic to the Indians, which was unusual amongst Mexican clergymen. Against gachopine law, Hidalgo taught Indians to plant olives, mulberries and grapevines and to manufacture pottery and leather. His actions irritated the Spanish viceroy who, as a punitive measure, cut down Hidalgo’s trees and vines. Gachopines were alerted to the criollos independence movement bycriollo officers who had refused to join the revolutionary movement and by a priest who had learned of the plot through a confessional. Hidalgo was among the central figures targeted for arrest on September 13, 1810. The Querétaro corregidor’s wife informed the criollos of the gachopines plan. Allende immediately departed from Quértaro to inform Hidalgo. Allende arrived in Dolores in the early morning hours of September 16. His message forced Hidalgo to make the most signficant decision of his life, a decision which marked the first struggle for Mexican independence and that would distinguish Hidalgo as the national hero of the revolution. The criollos had not gained enough military alliance to forfeit the gachopines rule, as the plot had leaked three months before the criollos target date of December 8. Hidalgo had three possible options. He could await arrest, flee Dolores or call on the Indian and mestizo forces. His decision to call the exploited groups to revolution completely changed the character of the revolution. The movement became a bloody class struggle instead of a shrewd political maneuver. When Hidalgo called the Indians to action, he tapped into powerful forces that had been simmering for over three hundred years. With clubs, slings, axes, knives, machetes and intense hatred, the Indians took on the challenge of the Spanish artillery. When the indian and mestizo forces, led by Hidalgo and Allende, reached the next village en route to Mexico city, they acquired a picture of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the patron saint whose image was of a woman of color. The Virgin of Guadalupe, who was indigenous to Mexico, became the banner of the revolutionary forces as Hidalgo and Allende led the path toward Mexico City and the expulsion of the gachopines. Hidalgo later regretted the bloodbath he had incited with his fateful cry of Dolores. When he made his hasty decision in the pre-dawn hours of September 16, he had not foreseen the mass slaughter of Spaniards. Before the revolutionary troops descended upon Mexico City, Hidalgo retreated with only a few associates to Dolores, where he would be executed by the gachupines only a year later. Despite his ambiguity toward the violent class struggle that was the Mexican revolution, Hidalgo is still revered as the father of Mexican independence. Eleven years of war, decades of despotic Mexican rulers and political unrest proceeded Hidalgo's cry of Dolores. Yet throughout the years of turmoil, El Grito de Dolores, "Mexicanos, viva México," has persevered. Every year at midnight on September 16, Mexicans shout the grito, honoring the crucial, impulsive action that was the catalyst for the country's bloody struggle for independence from Spain. Author: Marla Hueller
Background Of Mexican Independence Day
Mexico is the fourth largest country in the Western Hemisphere and is located south of the United States. It is one fifth of the size of the United States, about 460,000 square miles. The land has a variety of features consisting of mountains, desert, rain forest, and beaches. The mountains are filled with minerals and natural resources that help Mexico, but they are also a problem for the people of Mexico because they make it difficult to travel. The capital of Mexico is Mexico City. The country has a republican government similar to that of the United States. Mexico doesn't have the usual four seasons. There are only two seasons, the dry season that lasts from October to April and the rainy season that lasts from May to September. In the summer, the highs are usually around the low eighties and evenings are cool. The winter gets up to the low seventies and the nighttime low are around fifty. May is usually the warmest month because it is between the two seasons. The people of Mexico are a blend of Indian and Spanish. The people don't identify themselves as Indian or Spanish though. They consider themselves a mixture of the two. They are working towards having a successful integration of race and culture. The official language in Mexico is Spanish and the major religion is Catholic. History is very important in Mexico. To the Mexican people, "It is not only the story of how the present came to be, but the explanation of present realities and future possibilities." ( Burke 39) Towards the end of the eighteenth century, the middle and upper class began to question how the traditional society was based. They wanted freedom of speech, a representative government, and restrictions on the power of the Catholic Church. The people thought that the only way to get this reformed society would be to gain independence from Spain. At this point in Mexican history education was centered around theology and philosophy. The people felt that Mexico needed practical skills, engineers, and economists. They needed to reject the values of Spain and replace them with more progressive values of the world. This has led to problems for Mexico ever since. The question they have to ask themselves is, do we stick to our traditions and values or reject the past? In the early nineteenth century the Mexicans were discussing how to revolt against Spain. This thought of revolting was influenced by America and France. There were several groups starting to rally the people for this cause. A leader of one of these groups was a priest named Father Miguel Hidalgo. Hidalgo lived in Dolores, Mexico. Hidalgo and his officers were planning a revolt for late fall of 1810. There were things that they needed to do to prepare the people for the revolt. They needed to make swords, bullets, and train the Indians how to fight. The Spanish people found out about the revolt and the Spanish government ordered the arrest of Hidalgo and his officers. When Hidalgo heard about this he called a meeting at his church. He rang the church bell on the night of September 15, 1910 to call his congregation to the church for a mass. When all the people arrived Father Hidaglo rallied the people to fight. He gave the speech that is now called Grito de Delores. He said "Viva Mexico" and "Viva la independencia!" These famous words he said have been remembered and are said each year at the Independence Day celebrations. All the people fought together, Criollos (wealthy Mexicans of Spanish blood), Mesizos (children born of a marriage of a Spaniard and an Indian), and Indians. The people used clubs, knives, stone slings, and ancient guns. The people marched to Mexico City and along the way they fought. A battle took place in Guanajuato between the Spanish soldiers and Hidalgo's followers. The army sacked the town and killed the Spaniards. They continued to fight on their way to the capital. When they finally reached the capital, the army hesitated before going in to fight. When they hesitated some of the people deserted the army. Before the year was over Father Hidalgo was captured and executed. Other people continued to fight for the cause and Father Hidalgo's Grito de Delores (Cry of Delores) became the battle cry of the Mexican War of Independence. The people fought for eleven years before they finally won their freedom. Today Mexican Independence Day is a major celebration in Mexico, bigger than Cinco de Mayo. The people of Mexico celebrate with a fiesta. A fiesta is a party or festival. Fiestas are held for many different reasons that vary from honoring a person, to events in Mexico's history. Fiestas can be simple or elaborate and can last from one day, up to a week or more. There are many things that can happen during a fiesta, some of these things are colorful parades, music, dancing, eating spicy food, drinking strong drinks, bullfights, rodeos, and fireworks. Vendors come and set up booths to sell toys, souvenirs, food and drinks. The celebrating begins on September 15 (the eve of Independence Day) by having crowds of people gather in the zocalos (town meeting place) of cities, towns, and villages. In Mexico City a huge square is decorated with flags, flowers and lights of red, white, and green. People sell confetti, whistles, horns, paper-machete helmets, and toys in the colors of red, white and green. The people also eat lots of food. The people watch the time and when the clock strikes eleven o'clock the crowd gets silent. On the last strike of eleven the president of Mexico steps out on the palace balcony, and rings the historic liberty bell that Father Hidalgo rang to call the people. Then the president gives the Grito de Delores. He shouts "Viva Mexico" "Viva la independencia" and the crowd echos back. People do this at the same time all across Mexico. While the crowd says this they fill the air with confetti, streamers and noise. Castillos explode in showers of red, white, and green. Then people go home and sleep for the next days' celebration. The actual day of September 16 is similar to July Fourth in the Untied States. There are rodeos, parades, bullfights and horseback rider performances. The people feast and recall Hidalgo's speeches. There are statues in memory of Father Hidalgo and people decorate them with flowers that are red, white, and green. The Mexican Flag is made of three main colors; green, white, and red. These colors all symbolize something and have an important part in the celebrations. The green is on the left side of the flag and symbolizes independence. White is the color in the middle of the flag and symbolizes religion. The red is on the right side of the flag and symbolizes union. These colors are used often in decorating for the Mexican Independence Day fiesta.
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