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Nathallie Chavez Lynn M. Ramond January 28, 2014

Viva Mexico!

When thinking of Mexico you think of short men, dark hair, mustaches, and wearing a huge sombrero, shouting, Viva Mexico! (Long live Mexico) This image is actually not too far off. When Miguel Hidalgo, a leader of a rally groups, gave his speech on fighting for independence he used those very words, Viva Mexico! Perhaps, he wasnt wearing a sombrero and maybe his mustache wasnt that long, but he had what many Mexican still have today, pride in their country. Independence didnt come easy to the Mexicans; in fact, it took them 11 years of revolt to finally gain their independence. Today, September 16 is Mexicos biggest celebration. The Mexican flag consists of green on the left, which means independence, the white in the middle means religion, and the red in the right means union. Mexicos national anthem was adopted in 1943, written by Francisco Gonzalez Bocanegra for a Federal contest. The lyrics begin with "Mexicans, at the cry of war" the anthems proceeds with phrases and words of bravery to fight. There are other famous dates in Mexico that is also celebrated by MexicanAmericans here in the USA. The most common that is heard of is, cinco de Mayo (5th of May), this date is confused to be the independence day. However, cinco de Mayo, was the Mexican victory over the French in in The Battle Of Puebla in 1862. This battle was messy, after gaining independence in 1810, Mexico created huge debts with other countries. One

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of those countries was France, who at the time was eager to expand. The French invaded Mexico only to be stopped in Puebla who was greatly outnumbered. The victory of these poor, small-town, weakly armed, Mexicans, is celebrated today, representing great determination.

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Work Cited
Galker, Bernardo, and Rafael Zorzano. "National Anthems." National Anthems. N.p., n.d. Web. Cinco De Mayo from Mexonline.com - The Battle of Puebla, Mexico in 1862." -The Battle of Puebla, Mexico in 1862. N.p., 5 Apr. 2007. Web. 28 Jan. 2014. Mexico's Independence Day - September 16." About.com Latin American History. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2014.