Celebrate Mexican Independence Day in Cabo, Mazatlán, and San Miguel

Every September, a wave of celebration rolls across Mexico. Mexican Independence Day, or Día de la Independencia, recalls the 1810 moment when Father Miguel Hidalgo rang his church bell in the town of Dolores and called his neighbors to rise against Spanish rule. More than two centuries later, that cry still rings out from every plaza in the country, and few places mark it with more heart than the three destinations we call home.

The festivities center on the night of September 15, when towns and cities reenact El Grito, the cry of independence. Just before eleven o'clock, a local official steps onto a balcony above a crowd draped in green, white, and red, and leads everyone in shouts of "¡Viva México!" Bells ring, fireworks bloom overhead, and the party carries on well past midnight. The following morning, September 16, brings parades of marching bands, schoolchildren, and military units winding through the streets.

In Los Cabos, the celebration fills the public plazas. In Cabo San Lucas, crowds gather at the main square near the delegación, where a decorated stage hosts live music all evening and food and drink stalls ring the plaza. In neighboring San José del Cabo, the more traditional ceremony unfolds at Plaza Mijares. Both towns hold their El Grito around eleven, followed by fireworks, and both stage lively morning parades along their main boulevards on the 16th.

Mazatlán celebrates with the unmistakable warmth and energy that define this vibrant Pacific port. Downtown in the Plaza República, the evening of the 15th begins around six o'clock with music, dancing, and the glow of lights strung across the square, building toward El Grito at eleven. On the morning of the 16th, the Desfile Cívico-Militar (Civic-Military Parade) sets off from the Monumento al Pescador, filling the historic center with drums, uniforms, and rows of proud students.

San Miguel de Allende may hold the deepest claim to the day. The city is the birthplace of General Ignacio Allende, one of the movement's great leaders, and it honors him in grand fashion. On the 15th, a runner carries a symbolic torch into town, retracing the ride that once warned Allende of the discovered conspiracy. At eleven, the mayor delivers El Grito from the balcony of Allende's own home on the corner of the Jardín, and the sky above La Parroquia erupts in one of the most dazzling fireworks displays of the year. Watching from a rooftop over the main square is a memory guests carry home for years.

Wherever you find yourself this September, the streets fill with color, mariachi, and the tastes of the season, including chiles en nogada dressed in the very colors of the flag. It is Mexico at its most joyful, and there is no better place to take it in than the coasts and highlands we love most.
To mark the occasion, several of our resorts will host festive buffet dinners celebrating the flavors and spirit of the season. Menus and details vary by property, so we invite you to check with your concierge during your visit for the celebrations planned around your stay.

Start planning your visit today. ¡Viva México!