In 2010, Mexico celebrated both the 200th anniversary of its Independence and 100th anniversary of its Revolution. The entire year was proclaimed by President Felipe Calderón as "Año de la Patria", or "Year of the Nation". 16 September 1810 is the day of the "Grito de Dolores" or Miguel Hidalgo's call to take up arms against the Spanish colonial government. The start of the Mexican Revolution is celebrated as being 20 November 1910, when Francisco "Pancho" Villa and Pascual Orozco led the first insurrectionist attack against the regime of Porfirio Díaz. Events and other promotions of these celebrations were designed to link of Mexico's identity and historic continuity. During a speech at the inauguration of the Casa de Allende (Allende House) Historic Museum, President Felipe Calderón called upon Mexico to use the upcoming anniversaries to reflect on where the country has been and to think about what kind of Mexico descendants will inherit in the future. He said the vision of the insurgents of the War of Independence was forward, not backward, so every celebration of these past events must consider the future as well.
16 September and 20 November dates
The two dates represent the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence and Mexican Revolution respectively. The anniversary of the War of Independence is called "El Grito" (The Shout or The Cry) and takes place at 11 pm on 15 September, with the following day 16 September officially marking Mexico's Independence. El Grito is a re-enactment of the call made by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato at around 6 am on 16 September 1810 to his parish to take up arms against the Spanish colonial government. Each year, this re-enactment occurs not only on the main square (Zócalo) of the capital, Mexico City, but also on every main plaza in almost all communities in the country.
The date of 20 November is used to mark the start of the Mexican Revolution, or the uprising and civil war that took place from 1910 to 1920. Presidential contender Francisco I. Madero chose the date in his Plan of San Luis Potosí to begin an uprising against President Porfirio Díaz who had thrown Madero in jail rather than accept his victory in the elections of 1910. Although violence against the Díaz regime had already broken out in the name of this Plan, the date is still considered official.
Preparations
The national committee to organize celebrations for both events was created by decree in March 2006 by President Vicente Fox, after Congress declared that the year 2010 should be dedicated equally to both anniversaries. Eventually, the committee came under the direction of Felipe Calderón. Calderón officially installed the Organizing Committee of the Commemoration of the Bicentennial of the Start of the Movement of National Independence and Centennial of the Start of the Revolution in March 2007. In 2007, at the 97th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution, Calderón presented the Base Program of the Commemoration of the Bicentennial of the Start of Independence and the Centennial of the Start of the Mexican Revolution. Most preparations revolved around construction and reconstruction projects as well as planning for events related to 2010. Many of these commemorations were planned for venues outside of Mexico such as in Mexico's 147 diplomatic missions in the world. Mexico is also involved with the Grupo Bicentenario de Latinoamérica (Latin American Bicentennial Group). Programs and activities were coordinated among a number of countries for between 2009 and 2011 as many Latin American countries celebrate their bicentennials. This nations include countries such as Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Paraguay and Venezuela coordinating events such as debates, publications, celebrations and festivals. In various cities in Spain, the city sponsored an exposition called "Ciudad de México, Ciudad solidaria, Capital de asilos" (Mexico City: Capital of Solidarity, Capital of asylum), consisting mostly of Instamatic photographs. It looked back on the country's role as a refuge for political refugees from fascists regimes of World War II as well as from other Latin American countries. In addition to preparations by the federal government, most state governments began similar preparations as well, especially the state of Guanajuato, which is the site of Dolores Hidalgo and El Grito.
On 6 September 2009, Felipe Calderón lit the "Fuego Bicentenario" or Bicentennial Fire in front of the National Palace. This flame traveled all around Mexico over the next twelve months, ending on the date of the Bicentennial of Independence. Media events to promote the upcoming celebrations as well as to retell the stories of both historical events appeared on Mexican television. One example of this was "Expedición 1808, travesía por los bicentenarios de Iberoamérica" (Expedition 1808: a journey through the Bicentennials of Latin America) In Mexico State, six cities were declared "Bicentennial Cities", and slated for improvements in their industrial zones, roadways, parks and public space. In Guerrero, the National Institute of Anthropology and History is working to declare the entire old downtown of Chilpancingo as a historic site, due to the multiple events of both the War of Independence and the Revolution that occurred there.
In the Zocalo (main square) in Mexico City a large digital clock counted down to 15 September 2010 and 20 November 2010 dates. Similar countdown clocks were located in the cities of Cuernavaca, Tlaxcala, Chilpancingo, Tepic, Nayarit. and all the other capital cities of the 31 states.
Projects associated with the Bicentennial
Commemorative routes The most visible preparation to date in Mexico itself is the appearance of "Ruta 2010" signs on many of the nation's highways and roads in most Mexican states. These routes have been created to link monuments related to the two events as well as movements of armies and other key players of both the Bicentennial and Centennial. The Secretariat of Communications and Transportation is in charge of allocating resources to signal these roads and provide tourist information both on their website and on the roads themselves. These routes connect historical sites like the Casa del Marqués in the historic center of Mexico City, the San Diego Fort Museum in Acapulco, the Museum of the Viceroyalty in Tepotzotlán, the National Museum of Anthropology, the National History Museum, the Casa de Allende Museum, the Casa Morelos Museum, the Alhóndiga de Granaditas and the Museum of the Casa of Padre Hidalgo.
These roads are subdivided by the specific event they trace. The Independence Road, which includes the Freedom Route, follows the path of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla from Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, to the state of Chihuahua, passing through a number of other states such as Querétaro and Michoacán. This road traces the first campaigns of the War of Independence to the site of Hidalgo's execution. The Sentiments of the Nation Route, named after the eponymous document by José María Morelos y Pavón, follows his campaigns through the states of Michoacán, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Morelos, Mexico State, Puebla, Veracruz and Chiapas. The Route of the Three Guarantees maps out the campaigns fought by Agustín de Iturbide, who brought the War for Independence to a successful close in 1821. The runs from Iguala, Guerrero, to Mexico City.
Routes following the major events of the Mexican Revolution include the Democracy Route, mostly outlining the road taken by Francisco I. Madero from Ciudad Juárez to Mexico City after being elected president in 1911. The route starts in Parras, Coahuila, his hometown, and passes through the cities of San Luis Potosí, Ciudad Juárez, Piedras Negras, Torreón, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes and León. The Zapatista Route traces the operations of Emiliano Zapata's forces through the states of Morelos, Puebla and Mexico State. The Constitutionalist Revolution Route is the conjunction of the routes of Venustiano Carranza, Álvaro Obregón, Pancho Villa and Pablo González Garza, four other key players of the Revolution. These routes go through just about all of the northern and central states.
Infrastructure projects
Physical preparations in the city include a Commemorative Arch on Paseo de la Reforma, the new Mexican Children's Library, a Virtual Museum, the movement of the General Archive of the Nation to a new building. The Turkish government is restoring a clock given to Mexico for its Centennial celebrations by the Ottoman Empire.
As of August 2009, most of the preparations consisted of restoring historical buildings and sites related to the Bicentennial or the Centennial. Museums in Guanajuato state such as the Casa de Allende Museum, the Museum of Dolores Hidalgo, and the Alhóndiga de Granaditas have been remodeled and/or inaugurated at a cost of seven million pesos. In Querétaro, the The new "Bicentennial Park" was inaugurated in the north of the capital. In Mexico State, six cities were declared "Bicentennial Cities", and slated for improvements in their industrial zones, roadways, parks and public space. In Guerrero, the National Institute of Anthropology and History is working to declare the entire old downtown of Chilpancingo as a historic site, due to the multiple events of both the War of Independence and the Revolution that occurred there. The state of Nuevo León had 156 projects related to the two anniversaries and the state of Chihuahua will be celebrating the 300th anniversary of its capital city along with the other two.
In the restoration projects, the Casa Allende Museum was the first museum to be restored in the Bicentennial celebration. It took two years and seven million pesos. Its doors closed in October 2007 and started its restoration. This museum reopened its doors and was reinaugurated by Mexican president Felipe Calderón in April 2009. The museum has now a new water pipe system and a draining system, some electric improvements, a new security system and a new illumination for the whole museum.
Another important restoration project is found in the Alondiga de Granaditas which is a building where the first encounter took place in the independence. This place has been restored and it took 5.7 million pesos from Mexico's Anthropology Institute. Is a very symbolic place and it has been improved in many ways. Drain pipes, illumination, security cameras and bathrooms are few of the many improvements made to this museum. It has many galleries and writings from the national heroes.
There has been also created a huge infrastructure project to celebrate the Mexican bicentennial. It is called "Ruta 2010", and it is about six new routes. These routes are for Mexicans to understand the meaning and importance of the historical zones in past years. They are also made for Mexicans to enjoy faster and more efficient access to new places. Three of these routes follow the independence movement took place in 1810 that and the other three follow the revolutionary movement of 1910.
This project is a cooperation of many Departments of State. The Transportation and Communication department will destine a big part of its resources to install any necessary sign on the correct roadways. The Tourism Department will cooperate with the correct information for Mexicans and Tourists to be informed. This information will announce all the new strategic access points in the new roadways. The "Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia" (INAH) will also reinforce its facilities in those places where museums, sites and monuments are located. This is to have a stronger Presence on those places that are historically more significant.