Today is Mexico´s Independence Day. Although there will be a military parade today, the big celebration is always the night before when thousands of people gather on the Zócalo, Mexico City's central plaza. At 11:00 P.M. every September 15th, the President appears on the balcony shouting "Viva México!" and ringing the historic bell which was rung in 1810 by Father Miguel Hidalgo to begin Mexico's long struggle for independence from Spain.
Throughout the day, yesterday, I checked the webcam of the Zócalo on the site Webcams de México to see what was going on.
Before dawn yesterday morning, they appeared to be testing out the lighting systems that were set up on the plaza for the evening's events.
Around 10:00 A.M. (local time) the Zócalo was still mainly empty. You can see the National Palace stretching along the opposite side of the plaza. It is on the balcony above the central doorway of the palace where the President appears, and the independence bell hangs above it. A stage has been set up in front of the Cathedral for the concerts before and after the President's appearance. One of the groups scheduled was the popular group "Angeles Azules".
By 5:30 P.M. the crowds have started to arrive on the plaza. As you can see, the pavement is wet. It had been raining that afternoon... not at all unusual this time of year.
By 8:30 most of the Zócalo is packed, although there appears to be breathing room at the fringes of the plaza away from the National Palace and the concert venue.
At 9:30 P.M., from the glare of lights on the stage in front of the Cathedral, it would appear that a concert was under way.
At that point I went to bed. However, this morning I checked out the webcam again. Before dawn there were tanks on the plaza, and troops appeared to be assembling for today's military parade.
I just checked on last time, and as the sun is about to poke above the National Palace, the troops are organized into formations.
To my Mexican readers, Happy Independence Day!
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