The first in a series of informative posts...

Well, I don't know about a series. Let's see how this one goes.

Many people north of the border think that the Cinco de Mayo is Mexican Independence Day, when it's really a small holiday commemorating the Battle of Puebla. But in Mexican Restaurants all over the U.S., it's turned into a holiday for gringos to eat nachos, swill Coronas, and sometimes wear silly hats. Here in Mexico, we don't even get the day off. Some holiday.

In Mexico, they pull out their silly hats for the (sort-of) real Independence Day, which is the 16th of September. I say sort of, because they didn't actually get their independence on that day, but it's sort of when the movement started.

This is actually one of my favorite Mexican history tales. I'm not sure if the way I tell it is 100% factual, but I like it better this way.

It all started with Miguel Hidalgo (this is a painting of him by Orozco that makes him look pretty tough). He was a priest, born in Mexico of Spanish parents. Reportedly he enjoyed the cards, the drink, and the ladies. He was also into organizing the indios and peasants into fighting against the Man. So the church banished him to some tiny little town in the middle of nowhere, then called Dolores (now called Dolores Hidalgo). While he was there, he continued organizing the indios, teaching them trades, etc.

While all this was going on, he was also organizing a revolution against the Spanish. He and his co-conspirators had it all planned out to happen in a few weeks. But, someone let the cat out of the bag. On September the 15th Miguel Hidalgo received word that the Spanish were on to him, so he had to start the war earlier than expected. So later that night, he made a famous speech from the steps of his church in Dolores, declaring war on the Spanish and calling (yelling, hence 'the Grito') for an independent Mexico. I guess the audience was pretty wrapped up in it, because no one knows exactly what he said.

So that night they grabbed their muskets, machetes, shovels, and hoes (haha) and started the march to Guanajuato. Seriously, they were armed with farm tools. Anyway, they made it to Guanajuato and took the place over, killing most of the Spanish in charge and many others.

Later, they went on to Mexico City, but lost. Miguel Hidalgo and his army tried to escape and hide out in the highlands of Jalisco, but they were eventually caught. Miguel Hidalgo was executed, and then his head was hung from the roof of a centrally-located warehouse in Guanajuato as a warning to anyone else who wanted to try a revolution. It hung there for 10 years--I imagine it must have been just a skull after a while. Side note, the warehouse is still there, as are the hooks from which Hidalgo's (and his teammates) heads hung.

So now, the Mexicans celebrate Independence by having a big party on the 15th, where the President give the Grito from the zocalo in Mexico City, and there are fireworks and lots of celebrating all through the night and into the next day--the official Independence Day, September 16th.

The Mexicans didn't actually achieve independence from the Spanish until 1821, but lost it again a few years later to the French, who installed the Austrian Archduke Maximilano as emperor.

And that's the story. There are a couple of other bits that I like too, involving one of Hidalgo co-conspirators Dona Josefa. The battle at Guanajuato also. But I guess I'll save those for another time.