Mexico’s female president leads Independence Cry for first time in 215 years

In a revolutionary moment for the nation, President Claudia Sheinbaum became the first woman to lead Mexico’s Independence Day celebrations.

She presided over the traditional “Grito de Dolores” from the Balcony leading women's voices in the country for the first time in 215 years.

Tens of thousands of citizens crowded the Zocalo, the main square of the city, to witness the ceremony that celebrates the 1810 call to arms that initiated the war that led to Mexico's independence from Spain.

Ringing the historic bell of Father Miguel Hidalgo and shortening her speech with the patriotic cry of the grito, the cheers of the heroes of the independence movement, she entered the 215-year history of the country.

The next day, in a grand military procession, President Sheinbaum delivered a powerful speech proclaiming national sovereignty, stating, “No foreign power makes decisions for us.”

Speaking before her cabinet and thousands of soldiers, she emphasized that “no interference is possible in our homeland”.

Although not directly referring to United States, it was an obvious reaction to the increasing pressure of its northern neighbour to tighten the campaign against strong drug cartels and strengthen the security on its borders.

Recently, the administration of the U.S. President Donald Trump has declared some cartels to be terrorist groups, and is even willing to send American soldiers to help in the operation, which Sheinbaum has repeatedly and publicly declined.

Although her government is more aggressive than her predecessor, the extradition of many cartel leaders and her emphasis that fentanyl seizures are on the rise are in the best interest of Mexico, rather than a favor to foreign demands.

Sheinbaum was the former mayor of Mexico City and a scientist. She took office in October and shattered the centuries-old political glass ceiling.

The fact that she led the most symbolic patriotic celebrations in the country symbolizes a tremendous cultural transformation in a country which has a strong traditional background that heralds the dawn of a new era in the contemporary history of the country.