Viva Mexico

Sandra Frausto sat at a table in the Church of God (Seventh Day) booth Sunday afternoon to roll out dough, place it in a press and then into a fryer to make gorditas at the Mexican Independence Festival in Beckwourth Riverfront Park.

The gorditas, which sat in a fryer for up to three minutes, were then plated and made to order for the dozens of customers lined up at the booth.

"We make it from scratch so it's all fresh," Frausto said.

Toppings included layers of beans, meat, lettuce, tomato, sour cream and hot salsa, depending on the customer's order.

More than 10,000 people from all over the Mid-Valley came to celebrate Mexican Independence Day with food, music and friends. Veronica Ramos, festival manager, said the day went well and it has grown from when it started 15 years ago.

"It's grown a lot," she said. "We brought in more variety of food, but kept much of the same entertainment."

Maria Ruiz of Marysville was one of those who came to celebrate.

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Ruiz, who attended with her two teenagers, said she often makes gorditas at home, but the ones prepared by the Church of God (Seventh Day) members were a little better.

"It's the music and the people that make it better," she said with a laugh.

Ruiz said this was the first time she came to the riverfront park to celebrate and she was surprised at what she saw.

"It's like what you see in Mexico," she said.

Mexicans celebrate their Independence Day on Sept. 16 the day Miguel Hidalgo y Castilla, a Roman Catholic priest in the town of Dolores, Mexico, encouraged a revolt against the Spanish colonial government in 1810. The battle began Sept. 16. Twelve days later, Spain recognized Mexico's Independence.

Felipe Martinez said it's a tradition to celebrate Independence Day in similar festivals in Mexico.

Martinez, of Williams, sat on the lawn overlooking the Cotton Rosser Arena. He and his son Leonardo Martinez, 6, shook maracas to the beat of musicians on the stage.

"We like the music," he said.

Arturo Ortega and his wife Socorro Ortego said they come to celebrate every year.

"It's a way to get out of the house and relax," he said.

Most of the festivities were centered on the stage where entertainment from English, Latin and Hispanic performers were featured.

Quetzal, a Colusa folkorico dance group, performed three traditional dances.

"We want to keep the tradition and culture alive," 13-year-old Nancy Lopez said of the group's performance. "You don't see a lot of people doing this type of dance."

Contact Appeal-Democrat re-porter Andrea Koskey at 749-4709 or akoskey@appealdemocrat.com