A parade and festival in East Los Angeles Sunday marked the 206th anniversary of the day leaders of an insurrection declared Mexico's independence from Spain.
It marks the 70th anniversary of the annual East Los Angeles Mexican Independence Day and Parade, held at Belvedere Community Regional Park and presented by Comite Mexicano Civico Patriotico.
The one and a half-mile parade started at 10:30 a.m. at Cesar Chavez and Mednik avenues. The Gran Festival runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with performances throughout the day.
While the East Los Angeles festivities are on Sept. 18, the actual Mexican Independence Day is Sept. 16, 1810, when Father Miguel Hidalgo invited his parishioners to join him in taking up arms against the Spanish government.
He was aided by Ignacio Allende.
What an incredible parade! So much pride, love and patriotism for 2 beautiful countries! #MexicanIndependenceDay pic.twitter.com/9xdcC25pR5
— Marin Austin (@MarinNBCLA) September 18, 2016
Both were captured by the Spanish army and put to death, but a succession of leaders led the peasant army to an eventual liberation agreement 11 years later.
NBC4's sister station Telemundo 52 is a partner of the event.
NBC4's Marin Austin contributed to this report.
