President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was greeted by eerie silence as he walked onto the balcony of the Presidential Palace Wednesday evening clutching a large Mexican flag.
With spectators barred from the annual Grito ceremony for obvious reasons, AMLO did his best to summon up the right kind of passion for the occasion, belting out 20 “vivas” before waving the flag in time-honored tradition.
“Long live … Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, José María Morelos y Pavón, Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, Ignacio Allende, Leona Vicario, Vicente Guerrero, and the anonymous heroes of independence,” intoned the president.
More vivas were to follow: “Viva freedom … justice … equality … democracy … honesty … our sovereignty … universal brotherhood … neighborly love ...”
Following another viva acknowledging “the cultures of pre-Hispanic Mexico,” and the three customary cries of “Viva Mexico,” the smattering of attendees (and television viewers) witnessed a spectacular light, videomapping and sound show illuminating the huge plaza.
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