Consul General Remedios Gomez Arnau reenacts “El Grito.”  Photo courtesy of the Mexican Consulate in Atlanta.

The Mexican-American community in Atlanta celebrated Mexican Independence Day Sept. 16 with a reenactment of “El Grito de Dolores,” the historic call by Miguel Hidalgo, a Catholic priest, rallying Mexicans to fight for independence from Spain.

Father Hidalgo’s call is considered to have begun the Mexican War for Independence in 1810, leading to his capture and execution by Spanish forces the next year.

The crowd as seen from the stage at Plaza Fiesta.  Photo courtesy of the Mexican Consulate in Atlanta.

Remedios Gómez Arnau, consul general of Mexico in Atlanta, reenacted the call in front of thousands of Mexican-Americans at Plaza Fiesta, a shopping center featuring more than 200 Latino shops and restaurants on Buford Highway.

Even the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Kenneth Stewart, was drawn to the ceremony, during which the flags of the United States and Mexico were displayed and both national anthems sung.

At the event, the consul general said that the government of President Felipe Calderon is sympathetic with Mexican emigrants in the United States and would continue to work for immigration reform.