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Mexican Independence Day2026 Countdown
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
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About Mexican Independence Day
Mexican Independence Day, celebrated every year on September 16, marks the moment in 1810 when priest Miguel Hidalgo rang his church bell in the town of Dolores and called for an uprising against Spanish rule. That passionate speech, known as the Grito de Dolores, launched an eleven-year war that ended in Mexico's independence.
The centerpiece of the modern celebration happens the evening before, when the president stands on the balcony of the National Palace in Mexico City and reenacts the Grito, shouting ¡Viva México! to a crowd filling the Zócalo square. Mayors and governors repeat the ritual in plazas across the country and in Mexican communities abroad.
September 16 itself brings parades with marching bands, charros on horseback, and floats, plus feasts of pozole, chiles en nogada, and tamales. Streets, homes, and markets are decorated in green, white, and red, making the holiday the country's most patriotic night of the year.
History of Mexican Independence Day
On the morning of September 16, 1810, Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang the bell of his parish in Dolores, Guanajuato, and urged his congregation to rise against Spanish colonial authorities. His cry followed a decade of growing resentment over unequal rule and news of conspiracies being crushed. Hidalgo led an improvised army of peasants toward Mexico City before being captured and executed in 1811, but the movement he ignited could not be stopped. After eleven years of war, the Army of the Three Guarantees entered Mexico City in September 1821, and independence was sealed with the Treaty of Córdoba. Mexican presidents have reenacted the Grito from the National Palace every year since the 1890s.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- When is Mexican Independence Day?
- Mexican Independence Day falls every year on September 16, with the famous Grito ceremony held on the evening of September 15.
- Is Mexican Independence Day a public holiday?
- Yes. It is a national public holiday in Mexico, one of the most important of the year, with schools, offices, and banks closed.
- How do people celebrate Mexican Independence Day?
- People celebrate by shouting the Grito in plazas, watching parades and fireworks, eating traditional dishes, and decorating everything in the colors of the Mexican flag.