Jessica AvilaHundreds of people flooded Downtown Santa Ana Saturday Sept.15, waving Mexican flags and yelling,“Viva México!”
The prideful moment was a part of El Grito de Independencia, “The Cry of Independence” to celebrate Mexico’s independence from Spain on Sept. 16, 1810.
The 43rd annual Fiestas Patrias brought a carnival, food trucks, live performances, mechanical rides and carnival games.
A large stage was filled with ballet folklórico, mariachi and celebrities like Los Marlins de Tierra Caliente, Marilyn Odessa, and A.B Quintanilla III performed with Kumbia All Starz.
The crowd in front of the stage danced while the DJ encouraged the crowd to make enough noise for so that the whole city to hear. In between performances, the crowd was divided in two and told to yell “Viva México” louder than the other.
The first Fiestas Patrias in Santa Ana was in the late 1970s on DTSA’s historic 4th Street.
