Updated from 16 September 2006
Independence Day is one of the more important holidays across all of Mexico.
In beautiful downtown Catemaco, the degree of the celebration is totally related to the whim of the mayor in power for his 3 year elected term. Usually the first year of the term produces a plethora of activities and decorations. By the third year there is usually barely a whim of the party atmosphere of the first one or two years.
This is the first year in office of all the Los Tuxtlas mayors. And they are going ape shit spending the little money that they do have on bangles, baubles and fireworks.
I enjoy it while it lasts.
On the morning of September 10, 1810, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a 57 year old priest from an old family of criollos (Mexican-born Spaniards) begun to harangue his parishioners in the small town of Dolores in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, about the state of affairs in Spain’s colony of New Spain.
Independence Day is one of the more important holidays across all of Mexico.
In beautiful downtown Catemaco, the degree of the celebration is totally related to the whim of the mayor in power for his 3 year elected term. Usually the first year of the term produces a plethora of activities and decorations. By the third year there is usually barely a whim of the party atmosphere of the first one or two years.
This is the first year in office of all the Los Tuxtlas mayors. And they are going ape shit spending the little money that they do have on bangles, baubles and fireworks.
I enjoy it while it lasts.
On the morning of September 10, 1810, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a 57 year old priest from an old family of criollos (Mexican-born Spaniards) begun to harangue his parishioners in the small town of Dolores in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, about the state of affairs in Spain’s colony of New Spain.
He ended his sermon with “Viva the Virgin of Guadalupe and Death to the Gachupines (Spaniards in Mexico)”, now famous as the “Grito de Dolores“. The phrase is a pun in Spanish. It can mean both “The Shout from the Town of Dolores,” and “The Cry of Pain,” referring to the pain that Spain’s rule caused Mexico.
Thus began the bloodbath of Mexico’s revolt against Spain, ending almost 10 years later on February 24, 1821, when Agustin Iturbide (Spanish defense) and Vicente Guerrero (Mexican offense) joined in the Plan de Iguala to reject Spanish colonialism. On 24 August 1821, Iturbide and Spanish Viceroy Juan de O’Donojú signed the Treaty of Córdoba in Córdoba, Veracruz, ratifiying the Plan de Iguala and thus confirming Mexico’s independence.
After a year’s haggling, on July 21, 1822 the criollo Iturbide was declared the first emperor of Mexico as Agustin the First. He lasted till March 19, 1823, when in a continuation of the war of independence, former coalition partners warred again him, dethroned him and established the interim triumvirate headed by Pedro Celestino Negrete, with Nicolás Bravo and Guadalupe Victoria.
On October 4, 1824 the Constitution of the United Mexican States was promulgated, establishing a federal government. On October 10, 1824, General General Guadalupe Victoria assumed control of the executive authority, and became the first Mexican president to repeat the “Grito de Dolores“.
Over the years, Miguel Hidalgo’s “Death to the Gapuchines” battle cry was shelved and the more traditional “Viva the Heros of the Nation!”, “Viva the Republic!, and “Viva Mexico!”, etc. were substituted.
Another substitution was the change of the date when the “Grito” is delivered, from September 16 to the previous night of September 15, originally instituted to accommodate the birthday of the then Mexican dictator Porfirio Diaz.
201 years later, the Mexican president, and every mayor in every community in Mexico, including beautiful downtown Catemaco, Veracruz delivers the “Grito” to his patriotic compatriots, accompanied by thousands of VIVA, VIVA, VIVA MEXICO.
The next morning things cool down a bit, and the traditional parades begin, more or less in line with the US July 4th events, only missing the baton twirlers.
