Feliz Dia de la Independencia!

I'm barely back on the clock, but I would be remiss if I missed posting on this special day.  Contrary to far too popular belief here in the States, May 5 (Cinco de Mayo, if you weren't paying attention) is not Mexico's Independence Day.  In fact, it's hardly worth bringing up at all outside the state of Puebla in Mexico.  However, today, September 16th is the day of days.

Padre Miquel Hidalgo y Costilla

Today, in the year 1810 (a big year for much of Latin America), in a small town called Dolores, the priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla,  along with some lesser known players, set the ball rolling for the Mexican War for Independence.  Today, Dolores is known as Dolores (de) Hidalgo in honor of the cura and is a lovely town for a visit if you're ever in the area.

Read all about it here and some more here.  Yes, it's Wikipedia, but solid, nonetheless.

Now, in May, when you encounter those poor lost souls who have imbibed too much Corona in the name of supposed Mexican Independence, you can (only slightly pretentiously) set them straight.  Though, any excuse to celebrate Spanish-speaking cultures and peoples is, ultimately, fine by me.

Out of Office

Heads up!  My office may be my own living room and local coffee shops, but I will be out of all of them from Sunday the 9th through Sunday the 16th.  I'll be going on an epic backpacking trip so I will unfortunately not only be unable to tutor during this week, but will also be unable to return any emails or calls.

Feel free to contact me, but don't be alarmed if it's a few days before I get back to you.  After the 16th, we'll return to our regularly scheduled programming and prompt replies.

In the meantime, check out some Spanish Language Trivia.

Hasta pronto y pura vida!