Today marks 200 years of Mexican independence from Spanish rule. Typically, this festive holiday would be a cause for a massive celebration, but this year, the festivities are a bit subdued due to the widespread violence caused by ruthless drug cartels across the country. It seems like everytime I pick up the paper, the cops in Cd. Juarez are digging up some mass grave with 20+ bodies. Sigh. Those thugs don’t speak for a vibrant nation and even THEY couldn’t put a damper on the Bicentennial. I imagine most Mexican restaurants will have food/drink specials galore. The mariachis will be in full effect today. Hell, they were in full effect last night at Mezcal belting out the classics. Speaking of classics, Nacional Records has done their part by putting together the “Bimexicano” release. The album puts a modern take on Mexican classics. I mentioned the release a couple of weeks ago, but today it seems a bit more fitting and NPR did a piece on the release that you can listen to below and purchase the album here.

Jaguares-La Martiniana [mp3]If you weren’t around last night to give “El Grito de Dolores”, you can relive the moment from Chilangolandia Mexico City below.