'El grito' of independence

While Sept. 15 may not be as well known in America as Cinco de Mayo, it is Mexico's biggest day of celebration.

"The 15th and 16th of September are the most important dates that I can think of," Mexican consul Miguel Escobar Valdez told The Sun. "It marks the initiation of Mexico's independence."

Valdez said Father Miguel Hidalgo went to a church in Dolores on Sept. 15, 1810, and he called to arms all the inhabitants of the small Mexican hamlet, beginning Mexico's fight for independence.

"Eleven long, bloody years of fighting," Valdez said. "In 1821, Mexico became an independent nation and cut ties with Spain."

The Consulate of Mexico in Yuma celebrated the beginning of the fight for independence Saturday evening at the Historic Yuma Theatre, 254 S. Main St.

The celebration, "El Grito de Dolores," re-enacted the calling out at Dolores and was free and open to the public, who were greeted with "dulces" (candy) and "banderas" (flags).

The theater was half-full for the opening act, a folkloric dance group from San Luis Rio Colorado, Son., which was followed by Mexican singer Tony Topete.

Maria Duarte, 15, was one of the girls preparing to take the stage to re-enact the soldiers carrying the Mexican flag.

"We take it back and protect it," she said.

She said her group, from San Luis, Ariz., had been practicing for a month, and she was not nervous.

When asked what Sept. 15 means to her, Duarte said, "It's really special - for everything."

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THE QUEST FOR THE INDEPENDENCE OF MEXICO:

Mexico was known officially as "La Nueva España" (New Spain), the most important Spanish colony in the New World. Its supreme ruler was King Ferdinand VII of Spain, whose representative in Mexico was the "virrey" (viceroy). The military ambitions of Napoleon Bonaparte had severely disrupted the political situation in Europe and in the Spanish Empire. Napoleon's revolutionary upheaval also posed a very real threat to the cherished treasures of the people of New Spain: a highly developed culture of almost three centuries and the Catholic religion.

The Napoleonic threat to Mexican culture united two major groups in New Spain: the "criollos," the descendents of Spaniards born in Mexico, and the "mestizos," the descendents of mixed marriages between Spaniards and native peoples. To protect these cherished values, "Los Insurgentes," a movement to make Mexico a sovereign nation, arose in Queretaro. One of the leaders of the movement was Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, the pastor of the nearby parish of Dolores. When he learned on Sept. 15, 1810, that the Queretaro conspiracy had been discovered by the Spanish authorities, he had no choice but to begin the rebellion.

The next day, Sept. 16, the peasants from the surrounding area responded to the ringing of the church bell. They gathered in the courtyard of the church, where Father Hidalgo inspired them with a fiery cry: "Long live religion! Long live Our Lady of Guadalupe! Long live the Americas and death to the corrupt government!" This was the famous GRITO which triggered the long struggle for independence. The Cry of independence is repeated again and again, every year, in Mexico City from the balcony of the National Palace in Mexico by the President of Mexico, and it is echoed by the governor of each state throughout the country.

The bell of the parish of Dolores was brought to Mexico City by order of President Porfirio Diaz and was placed above the central balcony of the National Palace, establishing the tradition which has been solemnly followed every year thereafter. At 11 p.m. every Sept. 15, the President, following the ritual, rings the historic bell and "gives the grito." The cry may include other acclamations, such as the one included by President Benito Juarez to honor all those who sacrificed to make Mexico free: "Long live the heroes of our independence!"

Source: http://www.mexconnect.com/MEX/austin/grito0996.html