El Grito

My friend J is by far the coolest, most generous person I know. My dear Raul fell ill this past weekend (not swine flu, but what I like to call "Swine Poo"). He was scheduled to depart for the UK Monday night, and took Monday day off from work to go with me downtown to photograph the preparations for Independence Day. J, knowing that Raul was ill, called me Monday morning and offered to go with me on the Turibus today (Tuesday). This is not only amazing and wonderful because she drove us downtown, but J is the mother of adorable and feisty Baby A who came with us.

Fittingly, we picked up the bus at the Angel of Independence.

Some Aztec dude in the middle of the glorieta (roundabout)

So, a trash truck passed us, and I enjoyed seeing on top is a fellow reclining and reading the paper, while down in the crusher is a guy reading a paperback. Who says garbage men are uneducated?

Christopher Columbus

The buildings were all decked out in the colors.

La Santisima Church, also known as The Sinking Church.

The organ grinders were much better today. This lady even has the requisite monkey.

The beautiful building is the Casa de los Azulejos, the House of Tile. Inside is a Sanborns, sort of like a Walgreens, restaurant and pharmacy. (Yes, I know Walgreens doesn't have a chain of restaurants. Sanborns isn't exactly like Walgreens.)

The meter men wearing their meters.

The Turibus was on an abbreviated route this day, so we had to get off early and walk to the Zócalo, Mexico City's central square. I really enjoyed this giant golden eagle devouring the snake. And it's sparkly too.

Gay Aztec warrior

So the Zócalo is a HUGE square, and at one end was a large stage on which a wide variety of performances took place. I know about the variety because there were also video cameras on cranes piping everything live to giant TVs set up all over the city.

All of this leads up to El Grito -- the yell. Tonight, President Calderón will stand on this balcony and lead the Mexican people, here in the Zócalo, on the streets of Mexico City, and throughout Mexico in their homes watching on TV in the Yell of Independence. When Father Miguel Hidalgo first incited revolution with it, the yell went something like this, "¡Mueran los gachupines! Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!" Death to the Spaniards! Long live the Virgin of Guadalupe! ("Gachupines" were like the Spanish equivalent of Damn Yankees.) The yell has been toned down a bit in the 199 years since then. It's 9:30 as I'm writing this, and though I don't have a TV, I will know when the Yell goes up -- every church bell will be rung, and all of my dear Mexican neighbors will fire off the worst foreworks in the history of the universe. All. Night. Long. My only consolation is that it is raining like mad right now. Maybe everyone will stay inside.

"If punk is death, I are zombie."

People were flocking to the Zócalo as we were leaving. Many were dressed in their finest, while others were just dressed up.

Another cool building.

Viva México Pasteles - Independence Cakes

There were street performers everywhere. Here was one fellow getting ready.

Palace of Fine Arts

Cute!

The mounted police.

The sinking church again

Beautiful feral dog. He wasn't mean at all, despite this photo.

Two of the many street offenders -- the fellow selling stuff to you while you're caught in traffic and the jerk who washes your windshield with dirty brown water.

Looking down Reforma.

The is the other wonderful thing when you're trapped at a redlight -- Father/sons acrobatics. The one I see normally has the little dude at the top in a lion costume (why?), but here they are all festive for the holiday.

There is a bunch of weird, groovy art on Reforma. I think this one is pretty cool.

And finally back to the Angel of Independence. Tomorrow is Independence Day.