Puerto Vallarta celebrates with joy this Independence Day which fills us with national identity and reminds us of those women and men who sacrificed their lives to give us a free and sovereign nation.
“Today, September 15, we commemorate the Cry of Independence, a historic act that started the Independence movement that began when the priest Hidalgo incited the people of Dolores to take up arms against the viceroyalty, by summoning them all through the ringing of the bells. in his parish eloquently shouting the reasons why they could not wait without participating in this fight,” said Mayor Michel.
Professor Michel recalled that for Mexico to be an independent nation today, there was an “arduous process that involved the loss of many lives but also meant the union of a people for a common goal, freedom. The consummation of our independence brought with it the creation of new institutions, the reduction of the great existing inequality, and the recognition of the rights of all Mexicans, among many others. This represented substantial changes for our country and all of this contributed to giving way to current Mexico”.
He specified that without a doubt there are still many challenges to face “hence the importance of remembering that more than 200 years ago, thousands of Mexicans demonstrated that united we can advance in the construction of a country, a just, honorable, strong country that continues to transform itself day by day, despite the adversities that have had to live at different times throughout our history. Let us continue together writing the history of our port, of our good people, and of a Mexico of peace and unity. Let us celebrate together the Cry of our Independence”.
Previously, the chronicler of the city, Juan Manuel Gómez Encarnación, read the historical significance of this commemoration, recalling that “the sonorous bells of pain during the early hours of September 16, 1810, marked the beginning of the end of one of the fateful stages of national history”, the Spanish colonization that lasted 300 years after the fall of the lacustrine city of Mexico-Tenochtitlán on August 13, 1521, until the consummation of independence on September 27, 1821, with the entrance of the Trigarante Army to Mexico City.
He also referred to the sacrifice of those who gave their lives to give Mexicans a homeland, which he said was not in vain “because today we see an increasingly firm Mexico, traveling along the virtuous paths of social justice, the rule of law, and the economic independence. A Mexico prone to global peace, respect for national autonomy, the sovereignty of peoples, and international solidarity.”
What is The Cry of Independence
The Cry of Dolores, or the Cry of the Independence of Mexico, begins the national holidays. It is considered the beginning of the Independence of Mexico and, although there is no official version, tradition has it that the priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, accompanied by Ignacio Allende and Juan Aldama, rang the bell to gather his parishioners, getting them to rise in arms on September 16, 1810, in the town of Dolores Hidalgo, about 300 kilometers from the capital, Mexico City. Independence and the Cry of Dolores have been linked ever since.
Currently, the day of Mexican independence begins on the night of September 15 when different members of the Government -including the President of the Republic- carry the national flag while haranguing the population with a modified Cry of Dolores to which each speaker gives a personal touch. Later a bell is rung and the National Anthem is sung. That is when the formal party ends and the verbena begins in the streets for the National Holiday of Mexico.
Versions of the Cry of Independence happen across the country at city and state levels. In Puerto Vallarta, the mayor each year delivers the Cry from the municipal building with thousands of onlookers.
It is estimated that 4,000 people attended the Cry of Independence ceremony in Puerto Vallarta this year, the first in two years after cancelations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Puerto Vallarta celebrates with joy this Independence Day which fills us with national identity and reminds us of those women and men who sacrificed . . .
