On September 16th in 1810, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rallied the residents of his small town with Grito de Dolores to resist ‘evil governments’ and defeat the Spanish; thus began the Mexican War of Independence from colonial Spain. Next year will be Mexico’s bicentennial celebration of autonomy and I’m sure it will be a grand affair.
It’s tradition in Mexico for the President and the local Governors to give their own Grito de Dolores every September 15th, on the eve of Independence Day. This usually takes place in the zocalo, or town square, and in Playa was held in the large plaza in front of the Palacio Municipal. Laura had been talking about this particular event for about a month now and I was pretty excited to head out and check the festivities.
There was a large stage with several people dancing traditional Mexican dances with video monitors and huge speakers on both sides. The Palacio Municipal building was lit up with an enormous light display proclaiming “Viva Mexico” and the food vendors had the air smelling of fresh tamales and cinnamon twists. The general ambiance was happy, although not as festive as I had presumed. There was a large group of people already gathered while we there (which was technically early) and more and more kept pouring in from the surrounding streets.
Tomorrow there is a parade planned through central Playa to celebrate Independence Day itself. I’m hoping we’ll have the chance to venture out and partake in the festivities. Until then, here are some photos of this evening’s gathering.
The Mexican Flag lit up brightly
Tradition Mexican Dance
Food Vendors
Eclectic Electric Cacti
Coby – would you believe we were there that night with our whole family!!??!! We were the annoying loud family, but I looove them! They all came in from Cancun and Mexico for a party we were throwing on the Friday night!!
Anyways, I should have sent you a message, and you and Laura could have met up with us!! Otra vez!!!
Ah, yeah, that would’ve been fun! Tsk tsk
But definitely, whenever you are back in Playa drop me a line. Laura and I are planning a few days trip to Cancun around November as well, so I’ll let you know what we decide. Hopefully we can all meet up for some fun!