Title
Recognizing and Honoring the 206th Anniversary of Mexico's Independence Day.
Body
WHEREAS, Mexico Independence War started on September 16, 1810, with "El Grito de Dolores" (Cry of Dolores) proclaimed by Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, and culminated in September 27, 1821, with the entrance of the Army of the Three Guarantees, led by Augustin de Iturbide; and
WHEREAS, The United States Declaration of Independence, decades before El Grito de Dolores, influenced and inspired Mexicans to call for a redistribution of land and social and racial equality, and to halt three hundred years of Spanish oppressive rule over Mexican territory; and
WHEREAS, After months of planning a revolution against the Spanish rule, the plot was unveiled and Spanish officials started persecuting the men involved. In the town of Dolores, on the morning of September 16, 1810, before the Spanish came for him, Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla made the announcement that he would take arms against the Spanish government, and invited everyone to join him. Within hours, he had an army. This is what is now known as "El Grito de Dolores"; and
WHEREAS, Mexicans all over the world get together every September 16th to celebrate their Independence Day with parades, festivals, feasts and parties. Every year, local mayors and politicians re-enact the Grito de Dolores. In Mexico City, people congregate to hear the president ring the same bell Hidalgo did in 1810, and recite the Grito; and
WHEREAS, There are more than 15,500 Mexicans or Mexican descendants in the City of Philadelphia who have commemorated this date annually, with pride and passion, making this the most attended event of PECO's Penn's Landing Multicultural Series; and
WHEREAS, For more than 20 years, the Mexican Cultural Center has worked tirelessly to produce the Mexican Independence Day Festival, which celebrates and promotes Mexican culture and traditions. This event welcomes and gathers families of all Hi...
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