Oh Mexico! by Lucy Neville

Author:Lucy Neville
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: TRV014000, book
ISBN: 9781742693347
Publisher: Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd
Published: 2011-01-27T05:00:00+00:00

Buck was already drunk when I found him in his hotel room that evening – and he didn’t seem to be sharing the euphoria of the moment. I had been at a loss about what to do on the eve of Independence Day. Ricardo had invited me to go to a party at one of his friend’s houses and Octavio would be attending a gathering at his mother’s penthouse. But I wanted to be in the centre of the action so, when I got a call from the old gringo, I immediately made my way into the Centro.

Every year, on 15 September, Mexican people wander down to their local town square to honour their national heroes. Traditionally the president of Mexico makes his way out onto the balcony of the National Palace, where he proclaims the famous ‘Grito de Independencia’ (Cry of Independence) across the Zócalo. But tonight this tradition was to be broken. The outgoing President Fox had decided to perform this ritual in another part of the country, to avoid being vilified by the pro-Obrador crowd.

Standing on the balcony instead was Obrador’s political ally, the governor of Mexico City. And on a small stage, set up in the Zócalo, sat Obrador himself. This stage was the last remaining bastion of his blockade, which he had very wisely decided to vacate, in view of tomorrow’s military parade.

A hush from the massive crowd as the grey head of the governor appeared on the balcony. He clutched the staff of the Mexican flag, which was angled from the balustrade. ‘Hail to popular sovereignty!’

‘Hail!’ roared the crowd

‘¡Viva Zapata!’ He began the long list of Mexican heroes.

‘¡Viva!’

‘¡Viva Morelos!’

‘¡Viva!

‘¡Viva Juárez!

‘¡Viva! ’’

The list went on. ‘¡Viva la Revolución! . . . Hail to the heroes that honoured our country!’

And then finally: ‘¡Viva Hidalgo!’

Miguel Hidalgo, the priest who started the Mexican independence movement, was the first man ever to lead this cry of independence from Spain. ‘¡Viva México!’ he had roared 200 years ago as he rode through the towns and rallied the peasants to go into battle against the royalist forces. At that stage Mexico was yet to have its own flag. But Hidalgo was holding a flag that was just as powerful, a flag that contained the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe. ‘¡Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!’ Hidalgo had shouted, and before long he had gathered enough indigenous peasants armed with machetes, slings, knives and axes to challenge the Spanish artillery.

‘¡Viva México!’ cried the governor of Mexico City now across the sea of sombreros and giant Mexican flags flying in the breeze.

‘¡Viva!’ we chanted. The passion in the voices of the tens of thousands of people around me reverberated through my bones, causing me to shout louder and louder.

‘¡Viva la Libertad!’ he bellowed, clutching the Mexican flag.

‘¡Viva!’ we cried, while children blew hysterically into plastic trumpets, and brass bands marched hither and thither.

Pulsating red, white and green lights – the colours of the Mexican flag – illuminated the buildings surrounding the Zócalo. On

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