El Primero

¡Hola! Hoy está la día de la indepencia de la pais de México. My Spanish, is terrible, lo siento, pero thats partly why I am here.

Today is Independence Day for Mexico and all of Central America. How did I chance to arrive in Guadalajara on this day?

The parade I saw with thousands this morning was a grand display of military, police, and civil power, complete with ammunitions, riot control squads, and youth indoctrination brigades. The civil protectors, such as the ¨bombaderos¨ firefighters and the ¨cruz rojo¨ medical services were also present, and these received the largest applauds from the crowds.























But the firetrucks never whooped and the man upon horseback at the end of the procession who was likely the mayor of Guadalajara never even waved to the crowd. The parade audience was also subdued, sometimes looking as stern as the hardened faces marching past them. Though I saw few smiles, even from the children, the attention of all present on the procession never waivered.

All of us witnessed a great a specticle, and I personally was greatly entertained. But why did the audience have such reverence for those who use physical force to uphold the security interests of the State? Is it because they are thankful for the protection? Or perhaps they are showing their support and admiration for the men and women who choose to serve? What about negative emotions such as fear and deference to such great ability to use violence...were those attitudes present, perhaps subconsciously




















All of the above, I think. But as a citizen of a foreign country and culture, I was likely one of a tiny minority who was confused at how to feel about what we saw before us.

...more to come, including some who what why where when and how.