Since Texas was part of Mexico on September 16, 1810, Texas history takes good note of the date. Hispanic Heritage Month starts on September 16 — seven other nations south of the U.S. also celebrate their independence in September.
2010 is the Biecentennial of the Grito de Dolores; 2010 is also the centennial of the start of the Mexican Revolution, in 1910 — a double celebration for our neighbor.
From Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub, an explanation of the Grito de Dolores:
No, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s “Independence Day.”
It’s amazing what is not available on video for use in the classroom.
Texas kids have to study the “Grito de Dolores” in the 7th grade – the “Cry from Dolores” in one translation, or the “Cry of Pain” in another (puns in Spanish! Do kids get it?). Father Miguel Hidalgo y Castillo made the speech on September 16, 1810, upon the news that Spanish authorities had learned of his conspiracy to revolt for independence. The revolution had been planned for December 8, but Hidalgo decided it had to start early.
This date is celebrated in Mexico as Independence Day. Traditionally the President of Mexico issues an update on the Grito, after the original bell that Father Hidalgo used is rung, near midnight.
Hidalgo himself was captured by the Spanish in 1811, and executed.
It’s a great story. It’s a good speech, what little we have of it (Hidalgo used no text, and we work from remembered versions).
Why isn’t there a good 10- to 15-minute video on the thing for classroom use? Get a good actor to do the speech, it could be a hit. Where is the video when we need it?
Update for 2008: Glimmerings of hope on the video front: Amateur videos on YouTube provide some of the sense of what goes on in modern celebrations.
And, see this re-enactment from Monterrey:
Update for 2009: The Library of Congress’s Wise Guide for September features the history of the day:
The Grito de Dolores (“Cry of/from Dolores”) was the battle cry of the Mexican War of Independence, uttered on September 16, 1810, by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Roman Catholic priest from the small town of Dolores, near Guanajuato, Mexico.
“My Children, a new dispensation comes to us today…Will you free yourselves? Will you recover the lands stolen 300 years ago from your forefathers by the hated Spaniards? We must act at once.”
Although many mistakenly attribute the Cinco de Mayo holiday as the celebration of Mexican independence, Sept. 16 was the day the enthusiastic Indian and mestizo congregation of Hidalgo’s small Dolores parish church took up arms and began their fight for freedom against Spain.
“Touring Turn-of-the-Century America: Photographs from the Detroit Publishing Company, 1880-1920” has a rich collection of photographs of Mexico. To view these pictures, search the collection on “Mexico.”
Portals to the World contains selective links providing authoritative, in-depth information about the nations and other areas of the world. Resources on Mexico include information on the country’s history, religion, culture and society to name a few.
September is also a notable month for Hispanic culture with the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month Sept 15 – Oct. 15. Sept. 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition to Mexico’s independence day on Sept. 16, Chile recognizes its independence day Sept.18. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is Oct. 12, falls within this 30-day period.
The theme for the 2009 Hispanic Heritage Month is “Embracing the Fierce Urgency of Now!” To coincide with the celebration, the Library and several partners present a website honoring Hispanic culture and people.
<a title="A street in Guanajuato, Mexico. Between 1880 and 1897. Prints and Photographs Division. Reproduction Information: Reproduction No.: LC-D418-8481 (b&w glass neg.); Call No.: LC-D418-8481
[P&P] Catalog Record: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/det.4a27131″ href=”http://www.loc.gov/wiseguide/sept09/images/Mexican_B.jpg” rel=”lightbox[independence]”><img src="http://www.loc.gov/wiseguide/sept09/images/Mexican_B_thumb.jpg" alt="A street in Guanajuato, Mexico. Between 1880 and 1897. Prints and Photographs Division. Reproduction Information: Reproduction No.: LC-D418-8481 (b&w glass neg.); Call No.: LC-D418-8481
[P&P] Catalog Record: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/det.4a27131″ width=”515″ height=”334″ border=”0″ />
Specifically on the Grito de Dolores, see the Library of Congress’s American Memory Project:
Cry of Dolores
My Children, a new dispensation comes to us today…Will you free yourselves? Will you recover the lands stolen three hundred years ago from your forefathers by the hated Spaniards? We must act at once.Cry of Dolores, attributed to Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, September 16, 1810.
The [National] Palace from the Cathedral, city of Mexico,
William Henry Jackson, photographer,
between 1880 and 1897.
Touring Turn-of-the-Century America: Photographs from the Detroit Publishing Company, 1880-1920Early on the morning of September 16, 1810, Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla summoned the largely Indian and mestizo congregation of his small Dolores parish church and urged them to take up arms and fight for Mexico’s independence from Spain. His El Grito de Dolores, or Cry of Dolores, which was spoken—not written—is commemorated on September 16 as Mexican Independence Day.
Father Hidalgo was born into a moderately wealthy family in the city of Guanajuato, northwest of Mexico City, in 1753. He attended the Jesuit College of San Francisco Javier, received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mexico in 1774, and was ordained into the priesthood in 1778. He soon earned the enmity of the authorities, however, by openly challenging both church doctrine and aspects of Spanish rule by developing Mexican agriculture and industry.
In 1803, Hidalgo accepted the curacy of the small parish of Dolores, not far from his native city of Guanajuato. Between 1803 and 1810, he directed most of his energy to improving the economic prospects of his parishioners. He also joined the Academia Literaria, a committee seeking Mexico’s independence from Spain.
Guanajuato, Mexico,
William Henry Jackson, photographer,
between 1880 and 1897.
Touring Turn-of-the-Century America: Photographs from the Detroit Publishing Company, 1880-1920In September 1810, Spanish authorities learned of the group’s plot to incite a rebellion. On September 13, they searched the home of Emeterio González in the city of Queretaro where they found a large supply of weapons and ammunition. Warned of his impending arrest, Hidalgo preempted authorities by issuing the El Grito de Dolores on the morning of September 16. Attracting enthusiastic support from the Indian and mestizo population, he and his band of supporters moved toward the town of San Miguel.
The rebel army encountered its first serious resistance at Guanajuato. After a fierce battle that took the lives of more than 500 Spaniards and 2,200 Indians, the rebels won the city. By October, the rebel army, now 80,000 strong, was close to taking Mexico City. Hidalgo, fearful of unleashing the army on the capital city, hesitated, then retreated to the north. He was captured in Texas, then still a part of the Spanish empire, and executed by firing squad on July 31, 1811. After ten more years of fighting, a weakened and divided Mexico finally won independence from Spain with the signing of the Treaty of Córdoba on August 24, 1821.
Learn more about Mexico:
- View the Huexotzinco Codex, one of the Top Treasures in the Library of Congress’ American Treasures online exhibition. The codex is an eight-sheet document on amatl, a pre-European paper made from tree bark in Mesoamerica. It is part of the testimony in a legal case against representatives of Spain’s colonial government in Mexico and dates to 1531, ten years after Mexico’s defeat.
- Touring Turn-of-the-Century America: Photographs from the Detroit Publishing Company, 1880-1920 has a rich collection of photographs of Mexico, many of them by noted photographer William Henry Jackson. To view these pictures, search the collection on Mexico.
- Search the collection Taking the Long View: Panoramic Photographs, 1851-1991 on Mexico to find panoramic photographs.
- Read the Today in History feature on the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo, which celebrates Mexico’s defeat of French troops at the town of Puebla in 1862. This event is also widely celebrated by Latinos in the U.S.
- With over 8,000 items, The South Texas Border, 1900-1920: Photographs from the Robert Runyon Collection is a unique visual resource documenting the Lower Rio Grande Valley during the early 1900s. Search the collection on terms such as weddings to gain insight into turn-of-the-century border culture.
Resources, other material:
- Hispanic Heritage Month.gov, from the Library of Congress, National Gallery of Art, National Endowment for the Humanities and several other federal agencies and institutions
- News of celebrations, at the University of Texas-El Paso, Stockton, California (see photographs at that site), San Francisco, Yuma, Houston Chronicle, Los Angeles Time
- To locate resources for the study of Mexico and its history, search the Handbook of Latin American Studies, an online bibliography of works selected and annotated by scholars of Latin American history and culture, or visit the Hispanic Reading Room, which also offers a portal for online information on Mexico.
Spanish history is very interesting to me because some of my ancestors came from Spain. It is good to learn new things about where i came from and what my ancestors did that impacted my life today. Spanish history should be taught more in schools because it is something that kids would actually want to learn about.
By: Claudia Hernandez on September 16, 2010
at 11:47 pm
Wonderfully interesting, and woefully under-represented in the texts and standards.
You’re right. Can we work to cover some of that material, or uncover some of that history, here in this forum, to take into the classroom?
What parts of that history do you know about, and what are the big questions you’re looking to answer?
By: Ed Darrell on September 17, 2010
at 2:26 am
“Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s “Independence Day.”
LOL! this is a great and informing post.
I’m in your 5th period class, Gustavo M.
By: Gustavo Macias on September 17, 2010
at 8:48 am
to be honest i read it
By: moses ochieng on September 18, 2010
at 10:11 pm
This article is very interesting for me and i think it’s very good
By: Cynthia Delabra on September 21, 2010
at 7:32 pm
Does any of this have to do with the 2003 film “Hidalgo?”
By: Bryan Sabillon on September 22, 2010
at 3:09 pm
wats a good movie that has some of this information?
By: Gabriel Euresti on September 23, 2010
at 12:53 pm
This made me remember the Cry Of Dolores. That was intresting and learned some more things.
By: Marco Avila on September 23, 2010
at 1:16 pm
read it and was here
By: faby garcia on September 23, 2010
at 1:35 pm
Yes Yes I was here Mr.! =]
By: Valeria Nunez on September 23, 2010
at 1:38 pm
Hey Mr. I read it! =]
By: Valeria Nunez on September 23, 2010
at 1:38 pm
Hey Mr. I read it…
By: Faby Gracia on September 23, 2010
at 1:40 pm
hey mr. i left a comment!
By: omar valladares on September 23, 2010
at 5:51 pm
i think its a very good story.
By: sherod garrett on September 24, 2010
at 2:19 pm
This Is So Interesting! Im Learning a lot from it.
By: ismael jaramillo on September 29, 2010
at 11:36 am
Ok I read it Mr.Darell…
By: Holly Garcia on September 30, 2010
at 4:54 pm
the mexicos independence is very interesting and am going to read more about it…..this is juan renteria from your 3rd period
By: Juan Renteria on October 1, 2010
at 1:55 pm
Very good and im here so give me my grade im in your 4th period
By: Alex Acosta on October 1, 2010
at 2:37 pm
good Article.i read it need a grade
By: juan marquez on October 1, 2010
at 2:38 pm
Nice article i liked it. So can i get my grade now Mr. Darell?,,
By: Karina Arriaga on October 1, 2010
at 2:40 pm
nice article Darrell. Liked it alotttt
By: Herbert Alas on October 1, 2010
at 2:42 pm
i read it…Mr. Darrell
By: Cesar Colunga on October 1, 2010
at 2:45 pm
im here so give me my grade!!
By: alex romo on October 1, 2010
at 2:46 pm
i was here
By: marvin mancia on October 1, 2010
at 2:55 pm
I didn’t know September is also a notable month for Hispanic culture.
By: ashley de jesus on October 1, 2010
at 3:08 pm
I read it and it was pretty interesting I learned more about ”The Grito de Dolores.”
By: Yohana Gonzalez on October 1, 2010
at 3:16 pm
i need a grade.read the article
By: juan marquez on October 1, 2010
at 3:19 pm
already..!!
By: alejandro Romo on October 1, 2010
at 3:20 pm
^(*_*)^
By: Zachary on October 1, 2010
at 3:24 pm
HEY WAS UP MR. DARREL IS YO BOY JT JUST WANTED TO GET A GRADE SO ILL C YO LATERZ!!!
By: JOSE TORRES on October 1, 2010
at 3:26 pm
hey great page :)
By: Sayra Torres on October 1, 2010
at 3:29 pm
hey senior derrell… its me…william…i left a comment now…… william duran from 4th period.
By: william duran on October 1, 2010
at 3:40 pm
i didnt know that they had a small war and that so many people died from that war. The rebels won the war and city of Guanajuato.
By: karen hernandez on October 1, 2010
at 4:00 pm
Hey there Mr. Derrell… ;) i really enjoyed reading about this topic… See you in 5th period :)
By: Christian Perez on October 1, 2010
at 5:05 pm
I Was Here:)
By: Erika Arroyo on October 3, 2010
at 8:19 pm
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By: Celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day with the Consulate of Mexico in Dallas « Mr. Darrell's Wayback Machine on September 13, 2011
at 8:31 pm