“¡Feliz Día de la Independencia Mexicana!” September 16, 1810 *

Sept. 16 may just be another day in the United States, but across the border, it signifies one of the most important days in history. It’s the anniversary of Mexico’s declaration of independence from Spain.

&& Radio Show &&

On Monday Sept. 16th, 2024, at 8:00 AM ( Alaska Time), our local public radio show marks Mexico Independence Day with Tejano music. Listen live on102.7fm, or 103.1fm. or https://www.ktoo.org/listen/krnn/

++&& ## && ++

*Please Note: My Spanish language skills are limited. I used online translator to come up with this blog post title.

The day commemorates when Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo in 1810 made the cry for independence hours after midnight by giving a riveting speech in the town of Dolores and ringing the town’s church bells. The moment, which became known as the “Grito de Dolores, was the start of the 11-year Mexican War of Independence that resulted in Mexico gaining freedom from Spain after being under colonial rule for over 300 years.

While those unfamiliar with the holiday may see comparisons to the U.S. Declaration of Independence, they do share the ideas of breaking away from European rule, but that’s as close as they get.

Technically, they gained their freedom. But the way that freedom was gained was not true freedom,” Alexandro Gradilla, associate professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies at California State University, Fullerton. “It’s a mix of Fourth of July, Juneteenth, and sadly I would say April Fool’s, because people didn’t get the freedom they thought they were going to get.

That’s what made the Grito de Dolores such an iconic moment in the new country; it gave people hope that they would be free. The ensuing war would result in around 15,000 Mexican deaths, much higher than the estimated 6,800 Americans killed in action during the Revolutionary War.

The country was still in such a precarious position,” said Dolores Inés Casillas, director, Santa Barbara’s Chicano Research Institute. “It was a war-torn country after that, so building it was much more difficult.”

Mario Garcia, a Chicanx historian from UC Santa Barbara, said the war also severely impacted the country’s natural resources, creating instability economically and politically, therefore making Mexico “much less prepared for independence.” “Mexico had no history of self-governance, and that’s a major difference between Mexico and the United States when it achieves its independence,” Garcia added

Attempting to build a country following the war is what made it more difficult for Mexico to defend itself in the Mexican-American War that resulted in the U.S. obtaining much of the present-day Southwest. Regardless of the toll the wars took on Mexico, it was still a major victory in becoming its own nation, one that is greatly celebrated today. 

SOURCE uSA Today, Wikapedia