>On September 16, 2010, Mexico will celebrate its 200 years of Independence. The Bicentennial is a celebration of two events. The first is two hundred years since Independence and the second is the 100 years since Mexican Revolution of 1910. Mexican Independence Day is to celebrate the independence from Spain, which controlled what was at that time called New Spain.
A call to revolt (El Grito) by the Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo, was made shortly before dawn on September 16, 1810. The uprising brought the indigenous indians and mixed mestizo groups against the Spanish military and helped change the face of the already on-going fight for independence. This occurred in the village of Dolores, Guanajuato.El Grito has become emblematic of Mexican independence.
Each year on the night of September 15, the President of Mexico rings the bell of the National Palace in Mexico City. He repeats a cry of patriotism from the balcony of the palace to the assembled crowd in the Plaza de la Constitución, one of the largest public plazas in the world. This event draws up to half a million spectators. Local politicians such as the Mayor or Governor will also ring a bell and offer the traditional saying. President Calderón is expected to officiate the Grito in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato as part of the bicentennial celebrations in 2010. Similar celebrations occur across Mexico.
September 16 is Independence Day in Mexico and is considered a patriotic holiday, or fiesta patria (literally, holiday of the Fatherland).
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