El Grito, or “The Cry,” was originally delivered in 1810 by Mexican national hero Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a parish priest in the village of Dolores. With “El Grito,” Higalgo openly declared his support for independence and rallied the local indigenous population to rise up against Spain.

There are conflicting reports of exactly when Hidalgo delivered the cry, whether on the evening of Sept. 15, 1810, or the morning of Sept. 16. El Grito is traditionally read by the Mexican president in Mexico City in at 11 p.m. on Sept. 15, while México observes its independence day on Sept. 16.