AViva MZxico! AViva la Independencia! Celebrations of September 16 examines the Independence holiday, exploring how this most important public festival in the civic calendar has given Mexicans a rich tradition of national celebration that is part creation myth, part official pomp, and part popular merrymaking. The editors examine how Independence Day festivities have provided a medium for informal education, sketching on the canvas of the public sphere national values, glorifying specific historical events and individuals, and celebrating government plans and achievements. Since 1823, this festival has served as an essential contribution to the conversion of Mexicans to common ideals, as people across the country express their national identity with the cry, 'AViva MZxico! AViva la Independencia!'

William H. Beezley is professor of history at the University of Arizona. David E. Lorey is program officer for Latin America at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation in Menlo Park, California.