Photo Courtesy of inquirer.com
Hispanic Heritage Month has just begun, and this week, on September 16, part of the world and many in our country celebrate Mexican Independence Day. The day may be filled with parades, fireworks, and other fun festivities, but the history behind the day is just as important.
Mexican Independence Day goes back to over 300 years. Mexico, formerly known as New Spain, “was oppressed, farmland and personal wealth were confiscated and only Spaniards were allowed to hold political posts.” says the late Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Catholic priest in the town of Dolores.
National Today.com stated, “On September 16, 1810, Costilla rang his church’s bell and delivered a speech now known as the Grito de Dolores (Cry of Dolores), demanding the end of Spanish rule.” When he did this on August 24, 1821, Spain withdrew and officially recognized Mexico as an independent country.
Over the past 200 years, Mexican Independence Day has developed into a nationwide celebration. Every year on September 15th, Mexican TV and radio broadcast the President of Mexico ringing 200-year-old bell used in 1810 by Father Costilla while reciting the Grito de Dolores for 500,000 people.
One common misconception people who live outside of Mexico have is that Mexican Independence and Cinco de Mayo are the same thing. Cinco de Mayo celebrates a different victory, when the Mexican army outnumbered and defeated the powerful French militia in 1862 during the Battle of Puebla. Mexican Independence Day back then is when Mexico gained independence from the French militia.
In the spirit of Hispanic Heritage Month, Dean College will be hosting a special event centered around America’s favorite Mexican food – tacos! On Friday, September 17th, as part of First-Year Fridays, there will be a Let’s Taco Roommate Agreements event, which will be held at 4 pm in the Ewen/Wallace courtyard. This event will allow first-year students to fill out roommate agreement forms and enjoy tacos while you “taco” bout your room expectations. All this information and more about future First-Year Fridays can be found on the today@dean website.
Comments