On Thursday night, across Mexico and even here in San Diego, Mexicans and Mexican-Americans celebrated the beginning their annual Mexican Independence Day with the now-famous Grito, a public pronouncement of Mexican heroes and leaders of what eventually led to a new Republic.
In 1810, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Catholic priest in what was then the Spanish colony of New Spain, launched the Mexican War of Independence when he issued his Grito de Dolores, a revolutionary call to arms Hidalgo read in public in the town of Dolores. The Grito called for the end of Spanish rule in Mexico, redistribution of land, and racial equality. Hidalgo and a peasant army soon began their march to Mexico City.
But, much like the American War of Independence 35 years earlier, freedom was not won overnight. Battles and political shifts kept the war going until 1821 when the Treaty of Córdoba called for Mexico to become an constitutional monarchy.
After a year without a rightful monarch, Agustín de Iturbide, a Spanish-Mexican of the ruling class, became Emperor of Mexico. That, too, was shortlived Iturbide was deposed in 1823. The following year, the new Federal Constitution of the United Mexican States was ratified and Guadalupe Victoria was elected as the first President of the Republic of Mexico.
Just 10 years later, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna becme president. A former general, Santa Anna soon turned Mexico into a dictatorship backed by a strong military. By 1835, the oppressive regime soon alienated the northern territories of the Mexican State Coahuila y Tejas occupied by American settlers and freed slaves. Led by Stephen Austin, the Republic of Texas declared its independence. That war included the Battle of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto.
Santa Anna would later again serve as President during the Mexican-American War of 1846 which eventually led to the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo where half of Mexico was ceded to the United States, including what is now California, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, and Texas. After the defeat, Santa Anna went into exile. He would return to the presidency once more for a year in 1853.
Then in 1862, Mexico was invaded by France, ostensibly to collect on unpaid debts. France installed Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian of Austria as Emperor of Mexico. At the end of the American Civil War in 1865, the US demanded that France withdrawal from Mexico and, in 1867, the Republic of Mexico was restored.
That peace only lasted until 1910 when angst caused by the policies of President Porfirio Diaz led to a revolution by poor and working class Mexicans left behind during the fast-changing economy after the turn of the century. Villa and Zapata led the revolution for land and economic reforms. Diaz resigned. A quick succession of presidents and strongmen followed until the election of Lazaro Cardenas in 1934.
Since then, Mexico has maintained a somewhat stable (yet often criticized as corrupt) election process of six year terms for presidents. For generations, Mexico’s economy grew steadily, sometimes at impressive growth rates of over 4 percent annually.
Through its ups and down, economic crises, and nationalization then privatization of several industries, Mexico has remained a prominent player in international trade, especially with the U.S. Mexico is now our third largest trading partner with over $500 billion in annual bilateral trade.
Of course, issues with immigration, drugs, and trade imbalances too often dominate the news headlines, especially during elections like the current presidential campaigns, but we can’t deny Mexico has had a major influence in the social, economic, and geographic history of the United States.
Our relationship with our neighbor to the south must continue to evolve with the changing times. We must address the issues that impact our borders with a commitment to find real solutions, not political scapegoating. Only together can we forge the strong relations that must bind two countries so close together along a delicately fragile artificial border.
Today, we honor the anniversary of Mexico’s independence. 106 years later, Mexico continues its march toward a better tomorrow. That we can all celebrate.
Viva Mexico!
Viva Mexico!
Viva Mexico!