Spanish
The 46,800 square meters of the Plaza de la Constitución in the Mexican capital will host on the night of this Monday the first cry of independence from a president in the history of Mexico, after 215 years since the beginning of the struggle for emancipation from the Spanish empire in 1810.
President Claudia Sheinbaum will be the first woman to chant the energetic '¡Viva Mexico!' three times, after 65 presidents did so before her in front of the hundreds of thousands of people who gather on the night of September 15th in one of the largest squares in the world, the Zócalo.
At 11:00 PM local time (5:00 AM GMT), after the concerts by Alejandra Ávalos, the group Legado de Grandeza and La Arrolladora Banda El Limón, Sheinbaum will evoke the call to independence of 1810, with the ringing of the bells of the National Palace, the waving of the republic's flag and paying honors to the patriotic heroes of the nation who fought during the 11 years of war for independence.
The fact that a woman is leading the ceremony is a source of special pride for many Mexican women, like Marta García, who says that "it was about time there was a president", convinced of the need for change.
For her part, Angélica, who will celebrate the event with her family and her baby from her home in one of the capital's colonies, points out that it "fills her with pride that it is a woman", because it is an example that it is possible to "keep moving forward" and achieve "important positions within this illusion”.
Luis Arenas, 83, will also watch it from his home, following it "with the advantage of television" to celebrate "the freedom we have and that all Mexican people had."
"We are totally free, we are no longer under the yoke of the Spanish. Now we are free," he affirmed.
Despite the lights, flags, fireworks, and decorations that will accompany Sheinbaum's appearance on the balcony of the National Palace, both García and Arenas explain that "it used to be much more beautiful" than now, because it has "diluted and many people hardly celebrate it anymore."
However, for many, the essence of the celebration remains intact in the intimacy of the home, where the family gathers around a traditional dinner with "very, very, very typical" dishes such as pozole, tamales, or quesadillas, as explained by Yamilet González, who will also celebrate the festive night at home.
Although it says that the experience of living the scream in the Zócalo is "unmatched", Angélica explains that insecurity is a decisive factor for many families due to the large number of people who attend the plaza.
On the other hand, the common September rainfall also makes many people decide to stay home. However, others, like Arenas, exclaim that if it rains "it doesn't bother because you're in a party, you're in harmony with people".
"It feels good. It's nice to celebrate a September 15th and September 16th with the parade. It's a totally national holiday," he exclaims.
Therefore, González invites foreigners to come and experience this "pleasant, unforgettable" experience and feel the "affection" of Mexico on one of its most important days of the year.
In 2024, Sheinbaum's predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018-2024), gathered 280,000 people in his last cry as president, spread between the capital square and the 700 meters of Francisco I. Madero Avenue, which connects it with the Palace of Fine Arts.
