Sac State Celebrates Mexican Independence Day with “El Grito”

On September 16th, Sacramento State University hosted a celebration in Serna Plaza in honor of Mexican Independence Day. The festivities included a performance by Mariachi Los Versatiles and an Aztec dance group called Quetzaloate Citlalli.

Mexico’s Independence Day is often wrongfully associated with Cinco de Mayo but the two holidays are actually very different. On September 16, 1810 in the town of Dolores, Mexico a group of native Mexicans led by Miguel Hidalgo y Castillo rang the local church bells and loudly declared their independence from Spain. Officially called “El Grito de Dolores” (the cry of Dolores), the incident is now commonly referred to as “El Grito.” A decade long war would ensue between the Native and Spanish armies but after much strife, Mexico finally became a sovereign nation.

Fast forward nearly 200 years and the memory of that day lives on with the descendents of Mexico’s people. According to Jessie Ocelotl, lead dancer for Quetzaloate Citlalli, “This day is important to us because it helps to celebrate the memories of the past while looking toward the future.”

The same is true for Higinio Agaton, a native of Mexico City and member of the Latino based fraternity Gamma Zeta Alpha, which co-hosted the event. Agaton said that this event is important to him because it helps to “keep my culture alive.” Even though he no longer lives in Mexico, Agaton believes that preserving the memories of his ancestors transcends his geographical location.

The turnout for the celebration came in waves as students flocked to the area around the stage after being released from their classes. Sounds from the festivities reverberated across campus as participants shouted out in unison “VIVA MEXICO!” while the mariachis played a jovial song bearing the same name.

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Posted by Daniel Rios on Sep 17 2009. Filed under Lifestyle. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.