MEXICO BICENTENNIAL: EL PASO EVENT GROWS DUE TO JUAREZ VIOLENCE

Mexican flags waved, children tooted horns, fireworks boomed and
mariachis played as a crowd of up to 10,000 people celebrated Mexico's
200th birthday Wednesday night in Downtown El Paso.

The festivities in San Jacinto Plaza were larger than last year
because it was Mexico's bicentennial and because many revelers
preferred to celebrate the traditional "grito," or cry for
independence, in El Paso rather than in violence-plagued Juarez.

El Paso police, who had a heavy presence at the event, estimated the
crowd to be between 9,000 and 10,000 people, compared with about 6,000
to 7,000 a year ago. The Mexican Consulate sponsored the
festivities.

In Juarez, the patriotic holiday was practically ignored Wednesday
night. Most residents stayed at home, scared of violence.

The border city's plazas were quiet and undecorated. Juarez Avenue,
known for its bars, sportsbooks and restaurants, was quiet by 6 p.m.

But 3,000 people flocked to the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juarez
north of the city to see traditional folklorico dances, savor Mexican
food, and enjoy time with family and friends.

Dora Velarde and Javier Morales spent the evening at the fiesta to
show their daughter what September 16th is about.

"We want to teach her the value of her country so she can have
affection for her country," Velarde said.

Velarde and Morales were disappointed Juarez city officials canceled
other September 16th festivities.

"Public safety has always been an issue," Velarde said. "But you can't
stop enjoying your country, your city."

Back in El Paso, it was a bittersweet Mexican Independence Day
celebration for Rebeca Aguilar and her family.

"We used to go to Juarez. This is our first time here because you
can't go over there. It's the sense of security that brought us here,"
Aguilar said.

Aguilar, 49, wore a traditional Mexican dress and her grandchildren
also wore traditional outfits. The family lives in El Paso but had
always celebrated in Juarez in the past. This year, it was just too
dangerous.

More than 2,000 people have been slain in Juarez this year in a wave
of killings spurred by a drug cartel war that has continued and
claimed more than 6,300 lives since 2008.

The traditional "grito" of three shouts of "Viva Mexico!" mark an 1810
uprising that resulted in independence from Spain a decade later.

But drug violence this year dampened the bicentennial celebrations in
various parts of Mexico, including Juarez and other cities in the
state of Chihuahua. The bicentennial also spurred conversations by
Mexicans about the nation's past, its present and where it is headed.

But such weighty matters were postponed for one festive
night.

Juana Serrano, 60, was dressed in a red, white and green dress, waving
a large Mexican flag in a show of cultural pride. "I feel beautiful. I
have Mexico in my blood."

The Lower Valley resident would alternately attend independence
festivities in El Paso and Mexico each year before the violence.

"Sadly, in Juarez, I used to go celebrate but things are ugly over
there now," she said, looking at a crowded San Jacinto Plaza as the
scent of Mexican treats and foods wafted in the air. It wasn't bad,
she said.

"It's like being in Mexico."