When Is Mexican Independence Day and What Is Its History?

In 1519, Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés landed near the modern city of Veracruz, soon conquered the Aztec Empire and began centuries of Spanish rule over Mexico. Then, in the early 19th century, Napoleon occupied Spain, leading to revolts across Spanish America.

By 1810, Mexico started fighting for its freedom. The Mexican War of Independence was an 11-year conflict that ended in a Mexican victory. Ever since, the country has celebrated its independence on the day the rebellion began.

Mexican Independence Day, or Día de la Independencia, is celebrated each year on September 16. “It is widely celebrated across the country and deeply embedded in Mexico’s sense of identity,” says Sehila Mota Casper, the executive director and co-founder of Latinos in Heritage Conservation.

The first observance of the holiday was in 1812 in Huichapan, a town in the Mexican state of Hidalgo, before spreading across the country.

On September 16, 1810, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Roman Catholic priest, gathered his church congregation in Dolores and urged them to fight for independence from Spain’s 300-year rule. His speech, known as the Grito de Dolores (meaning the “Cry of Dolores”), encouraged revolt and called for racial equality. It is considered the start of Mexico’s War for Independence.

Hidalgo, who was born near Guanajuato, Mexico, moved to Dolores in 1803 to lead the parish. There, he joined the pro-independence committee Academia Literaria. His September 1810 speech wasn’t written down, so it’s not known exactly what he said. However, sources suggest he might have said something like, “Long live Our Lady of Guadalupe, death to bad government, death to the gachupines!” Gachupines referred to the Spaniards. The battle cry incited revolution just as Hidalgo, who is sometimes known as the father of Mexican independence, intended.

On August 24, 1821, the Treaty of Córdoba was signed, recognizing Mexico as a sovereign, independent nation and helping bring the Mexican War of Independence to an end. (Spain subsequently rejected the treaty but no longer controlled the country.)

Hidalgo didn’t live to see his dream realized; he was captured and executed in 1811. Other leaders of the Mexican independence movement included Ignacio Allende, José María Morelos, Guadalupe Victoria, Vicente Guerrero and Agustín de Iturbide.

Today, Mexican Independence Day is the central civic holiday in Mexico. People come together for public ceremonies, parades, live music and firework displays in large cities and small towns.

September 15, the eve of Mexican Independence Day, is marked by the presidential Grito, where the sitting Mexican president shouts a variation of the “Cry of Dolores” from the National Palace balcony in Mexico City: “Viva México! Viva la Independencia! Vivan los héroes!” The president also rings the Bell of Dolores just as Hidalgo did in September 1810. Local government officials perform similar reenactments in their cities.

Parades take place across Mexico on September 16. Some Mexican American communities in the United States also host parades, a tradition that first crossed the border in the early 20th century. Mexican Independence Day parades are common in parts of California, Texas, the Southwest and major cities like Chicago and New York City.

Mexican Independence Day is not to be confused with Cinco de Mayo, the holiday on May 5 that commemorates an 1862 battle victory over France.