Quintana Roo Marks 216th Anniversary of Mexico’s Independence With Statewide Celebrations

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Quintana Roo marked the 216th anniversary of Mexico’s independence with celebrations that filled plazas across the state, drawing an estimated 15,000 people in Cancún while a far smaller and more subdued crowd turned out in Playa del Carmen.

Cultural and artistic events led the commemorations, as municipalities and neighborhoods across the state observed the anniversary of the 1810 uprising that began Mexico’s path to independence.

José María Morelos

A Mexican cultural night, held as a prelude to the anniversary, opened on the evening of Sept. 15 with performances by folkloric groups from the town, including “Nuestras Raíces.”

The “Ensamble Folklórico de Quintana Roo,” the “Jóvenes Danzantes” Chicleros del Kilómetro Cincuenta and young singer Dilan Rodríguez Tilan also took part. The event was held at the civic plaza outside the municipal headquarters and drew just over a hundred families from the municipal seat.

Tulum

Residents, families and tourists gathered on the evening of Sept. 15 for the Grito de Independencia ceremony, held in a festive, celebratory atmosphere.

Families began arriving hours before the civic act. Waving flags and wearing green, white and red clothing and other national symbols, children, teenagers and adults joined the commemoration of the start of Mexico’s independence struggle.

As part of the official program, municipal authorities carried out the civic protocol before the traditional Grito, which attendees answered with shouts of support for Mexico and for the heroes of the independence movement.

Kantunilkín

About 1,000 residents and visitors gathered at the Explanada de la Constitución in the heart of Lázaro Cárdenas’s municipal seat for a cultural and civic evening organized by the local government.

The program began around 9 p.m. with performances by local acts, including Grupo Musical Airi, the Ballet Folclórico of the Casa de la Cultura “Zacnicte-ha,” and the DIF Municipal dance group “Años Dorados,” which filled the celebration with Mexican identity. Food stalls were also on hand for attendees.

Municipal authorities then led the formal ceremony commemorating the uprising that gave the country its nationhood and freedom.

Playa del Carmen

The Grito took place in a muted atmosphere, with few residents present at the Explanada 28 de Julio.

Most of those who gathered came not for the ceremony but to hear Ximena Sariñana, whose repertoire blends alternative pop, indie pop and alternative rock with notable influences from jazz, soul and Spanish-language pop. The mood was not festive as in previous years.

The plaza was locked down by security forces, while Public Security Department (SSC) officers coordinated entry and screened every person passing through checkpoints for firearms or knives. Side streets were guarded by Mexican Navy personnel.

Cancún

Thousands packed the Plaza de la Reforma in front of the Palacio Municipal, forming a tide of patriotic fervor, lights and tradition to mark the 216th anniversary of the start of Mexico’s independence.

Municipal authorities estimated an attendance of about 15,000 people, who filled both lanes of Avenida Tulum amid a heavy security deployment.

The event combined historical solemnity with music, folklore and a family atmosphere, beginning around 8 p.m. with a lineup that included traditional folk music, jarocho trios and mariachi, along with the municipal ballet folclórico and the Orquesta Municipal.

Mayor Ana Patricia Peralta led the formal Grito de Independencia ceremony, her first official appearance back at municipal duties after a leave of absence taken while she sought her party’s nomination for governor in the coming elections.