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Mexico celebrates 200th anniversary
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Mexico fought for, and successfully gained, independence from Spain 200 years ago. Tens of thousands of revelers have thronged into the country's streets over the last two days, celebrating the bicentennial in style.
More than 25-thousand people gathered at historic Zocalo Plaza, to wait for President Felipe Calderon to deliver the call to arms," Viva Mexico," echoed by state governors and mayors in deserts, jungle towns, and cities all across the country.
Felipe Calderson, Mexican President, said, "Long live our national independence! Long live the bicentenary of our independence! Long live the anniversary of the revolution! Long live Mexico! Long live Mexico!"
Earlier in the day, 60-thousand-plus local residents flooded the streets of Mexico City to take part in a very grand parade.
People blew horns and danced alongside an assortment of serpent floats, marching cactuses, and 4-meter-tall warrior marionettes. They also attended open-air concerts late into the night.
Proud citizens are expressing strong faith in their country.
A Bicentennial reveler of Mexico city said, "We have very smart and valuable people in this country. And like every other country, we have many problems, but I think that, if we all work together, every problem can be solved."
Invasions, a civil war, and the ongoing fight to subdue drug cartels have all loomed large in Mexico's two centuries of history.
The government's current crusade against narcotics traffickers has cast a dark shadow over parts of the country, particularly near the northern border with the United States, where 14 municipalities have had to call off Independence Day celebrations, due to safety concerns.
