Fiestas Patrias

Market Square, with my favorite Mexican decoration, "picado" (cut-work) banners

We went to colorful Market Square in downtown San Antonio for "Fiestas Patrias", Patriotic Festivals, commemorating Mexican Independence Day next week.  We shopped Mexican imports and ate at Mi Tierra, and hoped to be around when the "ballet folklorico", folk dancers, took stage, but our timing wasn't right.  We did, however, see a few little dancers inside one of the shopping areas.

Father Hidalgo on the walls of Mi Tierra Cafe and Bakery

September 16 is "El dia de independencia", Independence Day, for Mexico.  This year marks the bicentennial of the war for independence from Spain, which began on September 15, 1810 with "el grito de Dolores", the Cry of Dolores.  Father Miguel Hidalgo, priest of Dolores, issued the battle cry that led,  eleven years later in 1821, to Mexican victory.

The best part of eating at Mi Tierra was the eye-popping decor of the place, particularly the murals.  The walls of the cattle-lot sized restaurant are covered with painted portraits of every Mexican/Mexican-American of note.  I'm not knowledgable enough to know if there are famous people from other hispanic nations.  It was fun to pick out the few people I did recognize:

Emiliano Zapata, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera