Sept. 24, 2006 –  Mexico’s Independence Day is September 16, but in San Juan Cosala, the small town by Lake Chapala where we live, it is celebrated a week later, so local people can take part in the festivities on the 16th in nearby towns. This morning we went to the parade, which circled through town streets and along the highway, which is the only way for traffic along the lake to pass through town.

This float is in honor of Mexico’s fallen soldiers (they have certainly had many in their history), and if you look closely you can see that there is one, in a modern-day camoflage shirt, lying at the feet of Liberty:

Schoolchildren made up the bulk of the parade, beginning with the very young:


Two Mexican Sunday bicylists, in typical bicycling cothing, are going the other way from the parade here. The second one is talking on a cellphone as he rides. Kelly (in the straw hat) and close friends from Colorado are just behind the guy in the red shirt.



The state of Jalisco, where we are located, is the home of mariachi music:
A very enjoyable parade!