Welcome to Eat, Baila Travel we're Jenny and Kevin we're two mexican-americans
from Chicago looking for a home in mexico if you've been following our journey you've seen
that we've been traveling Mexico for all of 2021. So far checking out different cities and exploring
where we might want to stay and settle as far as having a new home.
We've also had the opportunity to visit our heritage states so where our parents are from
Zacatecas, Veracruz and San Luis Potosi so if you haven't seen those yet be sure to check them out
because we've got some really great information and stories to share with you and if you're new
to the channel, be sure to subscribe so you can continue this journey with us.
We've got a really special vlog for you today straight out of La Cuna de la independencia in Dolores Hidalgo
Each year on September 16th Mexico and mexicans all over the world celebrate mexican independence day.
With a very special grito "Viva México!" and all kinds of celebrations.
This is going to be our first time celebrating la independencia here in mexico and we're super excited to share this with you.
Dolores Hidalgo is where the original grito happened in 1810.
and it doesn't necessarily imply that that's the day that Mexico gained its independence from Spain
what do you mean today's the Mexican Independence
well today's the day we celebrate the Mexican Independence but it's not the day that mexico
was free from Spain what so we've been living in a lie for 211 years? not quite
Mexico officially gained its Independence from Spain on September 27, 1821 so why do we celebrate on September 16th
I don't know why and now i'm confused i was so excited for today the 16th stay tuned to find out
The original grito independencia was given by Miguel Hidalgo on the very early morning of
September 16th in the year 1810 but first here's a little context as to what led to this very special grito that we now celebrate today.
After the conquest by Hernan Cortes the spanish created a
caste system for people who lived in New Spain there were the spanish who were directly from the iberian peninsula.
There were the criollos which were people who were born on the american continent but
directly descendant of spanish from the iberian peninsula. Then you have the mestizos which
are a blend of spanish and indigenous blood at the very bottom of this caste system they had the
indigenous people and the black slaves that they had brought over from Africa.
As you might guess this caste system caused a lot of social turmoil it was in 1808 when
king Napoleon of France kidnapped the monarch of spain and left New Spain without a ruling head.
In combination of years of oppression and these uncertain times of who was gonna rule new spain
with the french trying to take over although they did kind of try to rule for three years
but Benito Juarez was like no anyway that's gonna be a story for another time.
In comes Miguel Hidalgo who was like himself and was very unsatisfied with this caste system as it had
destroyed his entire family and livelihood. So he saw the opportunity to gather people and
revolutionize for the independence of New Spain. He called upon Ignacio Allende the Aldama brothers
Jose and Josefa Dominguez to conspire together and initiate this revolution for independence.
Speaking of Josefa Dominguez she plays a really important role in the independence but we're
going to get to her later in Queretaro. This group of leaders was initially planning to revolt in
December of that year but when they were found out on September 15th they decided it was now or never.
That day Jose dominguez was arrested for conspiring against the government of Spain
so his wife Josefa sent a man on a horse to send a message to the town of Dolores
and Miguel Hidalgo himself to warn them that they had been caught. That night is when Miguel Hidalgo
decided that that would be the night they would initiate their revolt for independence and hence
he called upon the pueblo with his gritos uniting them and shouting: Viva la independencia!
Viva nuestra senora de Guadalupe! He shouted for hours gathering everyone outside la parroquia de Dolores.
To unite and start the revolution towards the independence of what today is Mexico.
hmm that's all very cool .
but i still don't understand why we celebrate the day the independence started versus the day that we actually won the independence.
Probably because the independence itself was a little complicated.
The movement began when Miguel Hidalgo united the criollos, the mestizos, the indigenous and the slaves
to fight against the ruling of spain but the fight lasted 11 years and Miguel Hidalgo only lasted one
So a year after his death in 1812 the town of Dolores began to honor him and his grito each
year on september 15th around 11 p.m. To honor the grito that he gave starting that night into
the hours and early morning of september 16th. And that's why we celebrate the evening of the 15th all the way through the 16th.
In our research it didn't exactly say this but i would guess that
they started that tradition to keep people united in the long fight for independence and today it's
still celebrated as an event that unites people we're not exactly celebrating the day that mexico became free from Spain.
We're celebrating the day the movement started and the movement that united
people in this caste system who were being oppressed by the spanish rule
Mexico signed it's declaration of independence on september 27 1821 but spain didn't recognize him as a nation
until 1836. So as you can see the actual date of independence is a little complicated plus
the grito tradition has been around since before the independence was even gained and it stuck
It's continued to be celebrated and it's an opportunity for mexicans to unite
and share with the world how proud they are to be mexican. To me, September 15 and 16 are much more
about pride and unity and now that we've had the opportunity to learn more about where the
celebration comes from I feel even more proud to get to celebrate it here in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato
And that's why we chose to celebrate La Independecia de Mexico here in La Cuna de la independencia Dolores Hidalgo.
That's the very church where Miguel Hidalgo gave that first grito to the pueblo
Every year on September 15th the town of Dolores Hidalgo creates a simulation
to represent the cavalry that arrived from Queretaro with the warning message to Miguel Hidalgo
VIVA MEXICO! VIVA!!
VIVA LA VIRGEN DE GUADALUPE!! VIVA!
Due to the pandemic there was a lot of crowd control going on so not many people could gather at the podium.
But we got lucky and blended in with the news and media crew with our fancy camera
Viva Dolores Hidalgo cuna de la independencia nacional!
VIVA!
VIVA GUANAJUATO!
VIVA!
VIVA MEXICO!
VIVA!
Right here is where Mexico was born!
Disguise as media media crew we got front row seats in the inauguration of the replica bell
that was used in the original grito.
The bell was a replica of the one that Miguel Hidalgo used to
get the people together here at their church and it's so cool that we got the opportunity to see
Queretaro give this to the state of Guanajuato to have as a replica
The original one, is in la ciudad de mexico uh I don't know why but hey maybe someday we'll find out and give you that story
And we got rained out so what do we do now?
Eat our pan dulce from el Refugio
We didn't come all the way over here to just hang out in the hotel room
oh yeah we went outside in the rain
What are you doing? having fun! it it's just rain!
Luckily the rain subsided and we were able to watch the ceremony
From the lands Mexico was born lets yell with force! Long live the heroes that fought for our independence.
VIVA!
VIVA HIDALGO! VIVA! VIVA ALLENDE! VIVA! VIVA ALDAMA! VIVA
VIVA MORELOS! VIVA! VIVA DONA JOSEFA ORTIZ DE DOMINGUEZ! VIVA
VIVA LOS MAESTROS Y MAESTRAS DE GUANAJUATO! VIVA
VIVA DOLORES HIDALGO! VIVA VIVA GUANAJUATO! VIVA!
VIVA MEXICO! VIVA VIVA MEXICO! VIVA!
Mexican national anthem!
So how was that for your first Mexican Independence experience in Mexico?
Oh it's in this interview where's the microphone oh here's a mic
do you hear that there are people singing and it's pouring out here and there's people here!
cheering and happy and just celebrating how good t is to be mexican. I mean what more do you want?
Hopefully we get an opportunity to come back because we want the full experience
Not just because it was raining but because of the pandemic so i'm sure
that this could have been way bigger than it was but we're thankful we got to experience something
anyway maybe we'll be back next year maybe we can go to mexico city it's bigger there