Next year marks two important milestones in Mexico: The country will celebrate both the 200th anniversary of its independence and the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution. In major cities and historical towns, celebrations are being planned, museums renovated and buildings spruced up for the bicentennial and centennial year.

Large countdown clocks have been installed in main plazas, including the mammoth Zocalo in Mexico City, and they are ticking down the minutes to Sept. 16, the most famous date in Mexican history. That was the date in 1810 when Miguel Hidalgo called on the Mexican populace, in an act known as the Grito de Dolores, to take up arms against the Spanish colonial government.

President Felipe Calderon has proclaimed 2010 the "Year of the Nation."

The Mexico Tourism Board will promote events of the anniversary year, encouraging U.S. travelers to visit Mexico and its colonial cities that played important roles in the history of the nation.

"It is a great opportunity and another pretext to promote our country, this time with a historical perspective," said Eduardo Chaillo, regional director of the Mexico Tourism Board for the U.S.

Through an agency in charge of the bicentennial and centennial celebrations, the Mexican government started preparations many months ago, with much of that work becoming visible in 2009.

The government marked historical routes and installed burgundy-colored Ruta 2010 signposts on major highways so that visitors can trace the history of the revolution and independence movements on organized itineraries.

The government website Bicentenario.gob.mx has much background, history and maps of the routes. (For the English-language version, click here.) 

Urban fronts

In the long and violent independence movement, when native criollos, or creoles, of Spanish ancestry and others in oppressed classes rebelled against the ruling Spanish-born colonialists, several cities were of particular importance: Guanajuato, Dolores Hidalgo (where Hidalgo made his famous cry), Leon, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosi, San Miguel de Allende, Guadalajara and Mexico City, among them.

"The states of Queretaro and Guanajuato are key in the independence route," said Chaillo.

"The governments there and the national government have worked to create specific tours in order for visitors to understand our history and how our nation was born. That part of our history is so important."

The revolution of the early 1900s also is commemorated with Ruta 2010 itineraries: in the north, where Pancho Villa fought, and in the south, where Emiliano Zapata commanded revolutionary forces in the struggle against dictator Porfirio Diaz and for the redistribution of land. "Those two heroes are key to understanding the revolution and the symbolic importance that they have for the people of Mexico," Chaillo said.

Domestic tourism will be very important during the year, Chaillo said, with plazas in the major cities and towns expected to be filled to capacity for celebrations, particularly for the long Independence Day weekend in mid-September. He suggests travelers make hotel reservations for the major cities, particularly Mexico City and Guanajuato, months in advance.

But the rest of the year will be more tranquil times to visit the historical destinations, he said. The board has been working with U.S. tour operators, who have been provided information on the 2010 celebrations and the opportunities for historical programs.

Stoking U.S. interest

Still, Chaillo is realistic. Most Americans have little interest or knowledge of Mexican history, and most look to their neighbor to the south primarily for sun and beach vacations.

He is hoping tour operators in 2010 will consider expanding offerings, perhaps combining historical destinations and beach stays in one package: a visit to the colonial city of Morela, for example, could be combined with a stay at the beach resort of Ixtapa, a three-hour drive by modern highway.

In the U.S., there will be several events that will highlight the important year for Mexico and, hopefully, stimulate an interest in the history of the country, Chaillo said.

At the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, the annual Folklife Festival June 24 to 28 and July 1 to 5 on the National Mall will be dedicated in part to Mexico, with traditional food, drink, dance, music and handicraft on display.

An exhibit of the work of modern Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco opened at New York's Museum of Modern Art Dec. 13 and runs until March 1.

A small but important segment of the U.S. travel market will be drawn to Mexico in 2010, Chaillo said. These are groups, often drawn from alumni associations at universities, museums and other cultural institutions, that travel to learn about culture and history.

"We have to take this opportunity to make this happen," said Chaillo. "It's not easy, because the American public does not know much about our history. It's our fault, too, because we have not tried to make people understand what we are made of.

"But in 2010 people will have the opportunity to learn about our history like never before, how we started and why we have beautiful architecture and colonial cities."

The challenge is to reach those people in those niche markets, he said. The board's strategy is to use public relations and hope that the U.S. media will "get the word out" about the importance of 2010 in Mexico's history, enticing visitors to explore the many places that played important roles in that history.

For more information on Mexico, visit www.visitmexico.com.