Early in the morning of September 16, 1810, a parish priest by the name of Miguel Hidalgo rang the bell of his church in the town of Dolores. The townspeople gathered in front of the church, and Hidalgo exhorted his parishioners to fight for Mexico's independence from their Spanish rulers. This was the beginning of Mexico's War for Independence, a struggle which lasted more than ten years.
The bell rung by Hidalgo today hangs over the central entrance to the National Palace in Mexico City.
Each year, on the evening of September 15, the President of Mexico rings the bell, and gives the "Grito"... the Cry for Independence. As I write this, the Zócalo, the main plaza of Mexico City, is surely thronged with people waiting for the President to appear on the balcony of the National Palace, ring the bell, and give the "Grito".
Above, is a picture, taken from the web, of the spectacular celebration on the Zócalo for Mexico's Bicentennial on September 15, 2010.
¡Viva México!
We just celebrated Mexico's national day all the way over here in Malaysia. It's fun to be part of such an international community.
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting my blog, and taking the time to comment! It's nice to see visitors from far away.
DeleteThat is a beautiful building! Lovely photos, thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure. There is a lot of beautiful architecture in Mexico.
Delete