President Felipe Calderón led a moving ceremony this month on (Aug. 15) in Mexico City to honor several of Mexico's national heroes associated with the Mexican War of Independence (1810-1821). The event involved transferring the remains of 14 heroes by caravan from Chapultepec Castle to the National Palace.

On Sept. 5, Calderon will inaugurate an exhibit called "Mexico: 200 Years of the Construction of the Nation" at the National Gallery as part of the country's ongoing celebrations for the "Bicentennial of the Start of Independence" and the "Centennial of the Mexican Revolution." Each year, Mexicans observe the anniversaries on September 16 and November 20.

Thousands of people lined the streets of Mexico City to watch the procession. They cheered as their heroes passed by. They cried and shouted, "Thank you for liberating us!"

The remains had been disinterred from the Angel of Independence Monument and moved to the castle for the work.  Helped by DNA tests, the government was able to confirm the identities of all 14, including two whose names had been missing from the monument.

Many visitors to Mexico have seen or heard of these legendary figures only from the names of streets, villages, cities and states: Miguel Hidalgo, Ignacio Allende, José María Morelos y Pavón, Víctor Rosales, Juan Aldama, Mariano Jiménez, Mariano Matamoros, Pedro Moreno, Francisco Javier Mina, Vicente Guerrero, Leona Vacario de Quintana Roo, Guadalupe Victoria, Andrés Quintana Roo and Nicolás Bravo.

A popular telenovela "La Antorcha Encendida" (The Lighted Torch) brought to life several of these people who paved the way for Mexico's liberation from the Spanish monarchy. The Televisa novela also portrayed the cultural and ethnic diversity of the architects of independence. They came from the upper and lower classes, from Spanish, mestizo and indigenous groups. In the novela, a widow named Juana Foncerrada lives with five boys she adopted from diverse economic and ethnic backgrounds, including the illegitimate son of a rich and powerful man. The boys grow up to take on different roles in the war.

A young relative who watched the telenovela with me (it featured several black actors) remarked, "I didn't know black people spoke Spanish!" I explained to him that not only did blacks in Mexico speak Spanish, but they were in Mexico for several generations. Two of those who led the rebellion against Spanish colonial rule — Morelos y Pavon, a Catholic priest, and Vicente Guerrero, a gunsmith — had indigenous and black ancestors. Both became generals in the War for Independence. Guerrero, who served as president for less than a year after the war, passed a law to abolish slavery and free slaves in Mexico. 

The struggle also included many women, who did not receive the right to vote in national elections until 1953. Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, who is still buried in the state of Querétaro, and Leona Vicario, who married insurgent Andrés Quintana Roo, actively supported the cause. They were imprisoned for their efforts.

In his Aug. 16 speech, Calderón said the heroes were moved to the National Palace because the historic building represents the heart of national politics. He said the brave men and women being honored anew had sacrificed their careers, finances, reputations and their lives for their ideals. Four key leaders of Mexican independence — Hidalgo, Aldama, Allende and Jiménez — were tried as traitors and beheaded. Their heads were put on display at a public granary in the city of Guanajuato to discourage others from joining the resistance.

The ceremony in the capital city is a fitting way for Mexico to pay tribute to its national heroes. It also serves as a teaching point for people who are not familiar with the nation's history. In these trying times in Mexico, the country is in great need of more leaders with the kind of DNA these heroic men and women possessed.

Televisa plans to launch a television miniseries on the Mexican War of Independence, Gritos de muerte libertad Aug 30- Sept 13.

(Diana Washington Valdez, a native of Mexico, is an author-journalist based in El Paso, Texas. Email her at [email protected])

©2010