Celebration On Isla

Wednesday night saw possibly the largest celebration that Mexico has ever had. It was both the 200th anniversary of the Mexican War of Independence and the 100th anniversary of Mexico's Revolution. Cities all over Mexico went absolutely wild with their celebrations. There are many blogs out there that talk about the history behind these two events so I am not going to attempt to reinvent the wheel here. But I am going to show you some pictures of the party here on Isla. A party that it is rumored cost the city a whopping 500,000 pesos to put on.




I wish I had a better picture of this lady. She has come to the island every year for the past 15 years to sell patriotic paraphernalia from her cart. My little rear view mirror bird came from her.





All the vendors were out in full force. Enticing the crowd to part with their pesos.

There was even a booth giving away free beer. Alcohol free I am told. No matter. For some reason, it was a hit anyway.

The trinket stands lined the entry to the malecon. I stay away from them if I can. Otherwise I am tempted to buy stuff to give away to all of my friends. Stuff they don't need or necessarily want but that I think is a hoot.

The kiddies were not forgotten. There was a portable trampoline set up. Complete with safety net.

Teen-aged boys were given some place to hang out too. I think they were off flirting with the girls when I shot this picture though.

Our infamous fountain had been repaired and cleaned in anticipation of this night. It really was fun to watch. I still don't like it where it is though.

Everybody was dressed in their finest.

There was no end to the glitz and glitter.

The island fire trucks were parked nearby. Just in case the fireworks should decide to behave crazily.

Now this is really strange. I asked the police officers stationed outside this cordoned off area what in the world this was. They told me that it was a temporary holding cell for drunks. I believed them at the time. I think, though, that maybe it is where the fireworks were housed?

There were singers, dancers and lariat twirlers entertaining the crowd who were patiently waiting for "el Grito" to be given.

All food vendors at special events are now restricted to the basketball court. I couldn't believe how crowded it was.

Although the food looked good, I had eaten at home and didn't buy a thing.

Promptly at 11pm, here as in every other city in Mexico, our Mayor took to the balcony of the Municpal building and delivered the famous cry, Viva Mexico! The crowd went wild.

As soon as the third Viva Mexico was yelled, the national anthem started playing and the fireworks went off. I'll show you some of them on Monday.