Contrary to the mass annual urge to get sloshed and eat one’s weight in guacamole on Cinco de Mayo, today (Sep. 16) is the actual holiday marking the day Mexico liberated itself from Spain’s rule in 1810.
The excitement is electric if you happen to be anywhere in Mexico during this historic day, with people celebrating all through the night before and likely still up. At midnight, the grito commemorating Father Miguel Hidalgo's decry is televised from the country’s capital and aired across the country, where government figures shout declarations of freedom and national pride from their respective seats of power
In Los Angeles, we get a parade in East L.A. the weekend following El Grito, an annual gathering at City Hall. Luckily for all of us, we live in the city that is home to the second largest Mexican population outside of Mexico City, so there is absolutely no shortage of dishes to celebrate with throughout this weekend.
Here are three dishes to eat around town that are as rich in Mexican cultural history as they are delicious to eat.