Celebrating Mexican Independence
J.L. Rocha Collections
Celebrating Mexican Independence
Mexican History
Our headquarters is located in San Diego, California; however there is no mistaking our Mexican Roots. This leads us to explore and inspire ourselves through our history. The history of Mexico is entrenched with revolution, passion, and the ubiquitous quest of freedom that inspires our individuality. We’d like to review that history for your education in this latest blog post.
Viva Mexico!
Mural by Juan O'Gorman depicting the Grito de Dolores, detail of Retablo de la independencia (1960–61); in the National History Museum, Chapultepec Castle, Mexico City.
September 16th - The Cry of Dolores
The symbolism of passion is pervasive in the events that signify Mexican independence. The town that is now known as Hidalgo a revolution began from the bell tower of the church. The local priest Miguel Hidalgo, according to the history lifted a call to arms at 5:00am through Jose Galvan as he rung the bell for mass in the town. The priest delivered a moving speech now known as the “Cry of Dolores” as depicted in the artwork above. This moment kicks off the revolutionary period of Mexico, extending to the final close on September 27, 1821 (11 years later ) with the triumphal entry of the Trigarante Army, led by Agustín de Iturbide and Vicente Guerrero, to a joyous Mexico City.
Hidalgo, a central figure of symbolism in this history also plays a martyr to Spanish Colonialism. Valiantly leading the charge against an oppressive government, the revolutionary priest met his end after the battle of Puente de Calderón (in the current municipality of Zapotlanejo, Jalisco, on January 17, 1811). Leading the crowd with his famous Guadalupano banner in hand - Hidalgo fought with more passion and courage than strategy, however he was ultimately defeated, captured, and executed. His sacrifice is honored to this day as we commemorate independence not on the day of victory, but on the day that an entire country was moved toward freedom thanks to one mans call to arms. This focus helps remind us that any one person, any individual with true cause and passion can accomplish anything.
Celebration and Inspiration
This year marks the 210 anniversary of Mexican Independence, without which we wouldn’t be here. While many years hundreds of thousands of people would gather in the town center of Mexico City, this year changes need to take place to protect citizens and culture from all over Mexico. This year the capital celebrates through an online expose of culture and history that you may watch below:
But beyond cultural and personal inspirations, we find great inspiration in the freedom and beauty cultivated from a passionate and painful past. We seek to better ourselves every day through our inspirations, motivations, and actions. We want to share with you some of those inspirations, and why they mean so much to us.
There’s no place like home - we normally visit Mexico a minimum of 4 times in one year, not only to ensure our ethics and quality are high but also to visit family and embrace our culture within the city of Leon, Guanajuato. History bleeds through the cobble stone and historic architecture, reminding us of our roots and how much we owe to the past.
An individual can inspire, but a community makes a difference - our family is much more than just J.L. Rocha, it consists of everyone who supports us and each other. We want to uplift our community and find inspiration remembering that it takes a group of people all believing in a valuable cause to make impactful positive change.
Always fight for what you believe in - There’s so much tragedy riffled through the pages of Mexican history, but the most pervasive element of this narrative is the national revolutionary ideals. Mexico is engrained with the passion and belief that you fight for that which is important to you, and most of all for your fellow neighbors and family. This element of our culture is something we believe in greatly, as we seek to inspire and inform on the beauty and luxury available in Mexico. We will always seek to shift the paradigms of believe toward positivity, individuality, and a close knit community.
Closing Notes:
This will be our first year in Mexico and in various parts of the United States not celebrating in full rite the Independence of our homeland. Yet we want to honor the past and invite a positive future for everyone while we reflect on the sacrifices that have made today possible. We encourage you to embrace those close to you, and to always believe in yourself as our ancestors believed in their causes, and their individual ability. We thank you for engaging with us as we seek to honor our history and share with you these inspirations that help drive us forward and inform our brand ideals. Let us know what you think, or what you’d like to know more about from Mexico’s history or independence celebration - we’ll do our best to create content to showcase your interests!
Thank you / Gracias