A visit to Mexico City would never completed without a stop at the Zócalo, the heart of the city since the Aztecs’ rule. This beautiful Mexican landmark is 57,600 meters², making it one of the largest city squares in the world, is also called Plaza de la Constitución (Constitution Square).
Today September 16th, Mexicans all over the world celebrate Mexico’s independence from Spanish rule.
In the early hours of September 16, 1810, father Miguel Higalgo y Costilla, accompanied by Iganacio Allende, Doña Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez and others, rang the bell of his little church, calling everyone to fight for liberty. This was the beginning of the Independence War that lasted 10 years.
If you are in Mexico around this time of the year you will present a phenomenon. Buildings, houses, cars, streets are decorated with the Mexican bright colors Green, White and Red our National Colors. You will find street vendors on every corner selling flags, confetti, sombreros, whistles, rehiletes (shuttlecock), the noisy matracas, and horns.
Food is a big part of the Mexican Independence Day celebration, hundreds of stands are set up around the Zócalo, many days in advance, antojitos (finger foods), buñuelos, ponche (punch) a drink made of fruits, are must-have.
As the evening progresses, the Zócalo fills, crowds of people gather, there is practically no room to move when the night of September 15th arrives. Everybody is excited waiting for the recreation of father Hidalgo, gathering his followers in Dolores Guanajuato.
It is a tradition that the president of Mexico delivers the “grito”, right there at the Zócalo. The original bell that Hidalgo rang is placed in the Palacio Nacional (National Palace), an amazing colonial building where the President’s offices are located. That exact same bell is rung the last hour of every 15th of September. When the clock strikes eleven o’clock the crowd gets silent. The president steps out on the palace balcony and rings with passion Hidalgo’s bell, following the “El Grito de Dolores” (”Cry of/from Dolores”), “Viva Mexico”, the crowd echoes back proudly shouting “Viva”, “Viva la Independencia”, “Viva”!
Buildings that stand out in the community because of their architectural integrity, character, history, are landmarks. Which ones come to your mind?
The Zócalo, brings me beautiful memories, visiting Mexico City with my family when I was a little girl, walking around this enormous, gorgeous plaza, listening to the Mariachi…
Is there a particular building that brings you good memories?
