Mexico's Bicentennial Celebration Big in El Paso

From the El Paso Times - Mexican flags waved, children tooted horns, fireworks boomed and mariachis played as a crowd of up to 10,000 people celebrated Mexico's 200th birthday Wednesday night in Downtown El Paso. The festivities in San Jacinto Plaza were larger than last year because it was Mexico's bicentennial and because many revelers preferred to celebrate the traditional "grito," or cry for independence, in El Paso rather than in violence-plagued Juárez. El Paso police, who had a heavy presence at the event, estimated the crowd to be between 9,000 and 10,000 people, compared with about 6,000 to 7,000 a year ago. The Mexican Consulate sponsored the festivities. In Juárez, the patriotic holiday was practically ignored Wednesday night. Most residents stayed at home, scared of violence. Read more here:

Mexico's Bicentennial Celebration Big in El Paso