‘Proud to be Mexican’: Chicagoans celebrate Mexico’s independence
September 16, 2019
Chicagoans celebrated Mexican Independence 209 years after the start of the revolution.
The Mexican Independence Day was commemorated with a Sept. 14 parade in Pilsen with marching bands, floats and equestrian and Aztec dancing The parade route ended at the National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St.
The Mexican Revolution started after around 300 years of Spanish rule when the Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla had enough. Hidalgo read the “Grito de Dolores”—”Cry of Dolores”—a declaration which called for an end to Spanish rule, land redistribution and racial equality.
In honor of Hidalgo, the president of Mexico annually reenacts the “Grito de Dolores” Sept. 15, the night before Independence Day on Sept. 16.
“It’s always been important to celebrate our heritage,” said Beatriz Quintero, who has been going to the Mexican Independence Day Parade for around 50 years. “ I’m proud to be a Mexican. I love the culture and I was raised as a Mexican.”
