Reid Park reverberated with the roar of “¡Viva Mexico!” after Consul Juan Manuel Calderón Jaimes recited the “grito” – the call for independence – to celebrate the bicentennial of Mexico’s freedom on Sept. 15 in Tucson.
The Mexican Consulate of Tucson hosted a citywide celebration for the 200-year anniversary of Mexico’s independence. The festivities were ten times bigger than last year, according to organizer Norma Angélica Carbajal González.
A spectacular line-up of folkloric dancers, mariachis, the ceremony of the “grito” recited by Tucson’s consul, a Miss Bicentennial beauty contest and regional Mexican bands like Tropicalísimo Apache and Oscar Padilla brought together hundreds of Tucson families.
And there was another “sorpresa.” At the last moment, the Mexican consulate was able to arrange impressive fireworks, which are a crucial part of any traditional Independence Day celebration.
Over the years, the traditions of the celebration have been established. In the late 1800s the bell from Dolores – the town where the “grito” was first heard – was brought to Mexico City. Every year, the president rings the bell after the call for independence. “They also made replicas of the bell and sent them out to all of the major cities, so that the governor or mayor could do it,” said William Beezley, a history professor at the University of Arizona.
And Tucson did not lag behind; it took four people to carry the bell to its destination, according to Carbajal González. After reciting the “grito,” the Consul rang the bell loud and clear, shouting “¡Viva Mexico!” and an impressive crowd of nearly 2,000 roared the same words in return.
The popularity of celebrating Mexico’s Independence Day in Tucson and the rest of the United States is due to more than just its large Hispanic community, Beezley said. U.S. beer companies, like Budweiser and Miller, started promoting the celebration along with Cinco de Mayo after World War II to attract Mexican beer drinkers, he said.
At the celebration the beer flowed and long lines immediately formed at food stands selling “churros” and “carne asada.”
“When you are far from your homeland, you want to celebrate all this,” said Cesar Delgadillo, 37, who was non-stop busy serving people at his “churro” stand. Within a few hours, he had already sold a $1,000 worth of these traditional Mexican sweets.
For many Tucsonans it is an important reunion. A Mexican father of three said he celebrates to show his children Mexican traditions:
“This is my people, this is me. I feel great.”
The celebrations took place all over the world; every Mexican consulate and embassy threw a party. In Los Angeles and New York enormous festivities took place.
But some in Mexico were apprehensive of celebrating the bicentennial. Violence, drug trafficking, corruption and the recession have dampened their spirits.
“Mexicans overwhelmingly are dissatisfied with the direction of their country,” a 2009 study of the Pew Hispanic Center revealed. Around 80 percent of Mexicans say crime and illegal drugs are enormous problems.
“Independence is more than an episode. You don’t begin the process, achieve it and then it is all over. It is a continuing process that has to be preserved,” Beezley said. And this can make the reenactment of the call for independence and reunion with one’s people all the more important now.
Cherishing tradition, uniting with one’s people and fostering hope for more prosperous times are at the core of this celebration. In Tucson, the older generations passed down the traditions to the younger generations. A one-year old was waving the red, white and green colors as ferociously as a 70-year old.
Now the party is over, but the tradition remains alive. The countdown for the tercentennial has begun.
