Mexico City celebrated the festivities in honor of St. Cecilia in Rome

"LandepNews"

The City requests urgent recovery of Plaza Garibaldi

Last week, from Friday, November 18 to Tuesday November 22, Mexico City celebrated the festivities in honor of St. Cecilia in Rome, the saint patron of the musicians. This is a religious celebration, but it also includes the presentation shows by some of the best mariachi bands, which traditionally take place in Plaza Garibaldi.
Located in the historic center of Mexico City, Plaza Garibaldi was originally called Plaza Santa Cecilia, which explains why this patron’s festivities take place there. The renaming of the square took place in 1921 in honor of Joseph “Peppino” Garibaldi, who fought in the Mexican Revolution 10 years ago.
The square is surrounded by the streets of Honduras and República del Perú. It is located in the Central Axis Lazaro Cardenas, a few blocks north of the Palace of Fine Arts. Its popularity has to do mainly with the fact that this place is considered as the home of mariachi music. It is to this place to which both Mexicans and tourists go when they need to find a mariachi for a serenade, or to perform or participate in an event. At Plaza Garibaldi you can find many mariachis all ready to go, wearing their costumes and carrying their traditional instruments.
After a great decline of the square and its surroundings, Mexico City is planning a major renovation of the square’s arrangement of buildings and surrounding streets, as well as improvements to ensure the safety of visitors the 24 hours of the day.
On the occasion of the celebrations of St. Cecilia, the Ministry of Tourism of Mexico City called for combined efforts so that the recovery of this square and its surroundings is completed as soon as possible. This is because Plaza Garibaldi is an important place as a tourist attraction and for the cultural identity of the City of Mexico.
For the CEO of Strategic Programs, Ricardo Ochoa Villalpando, Plaza Garibaldi is the “Cathedral of Mariachi Music in Mexico”, as stated earlier this month in the invitation to the festivities of Santa Cecilia. In the presentation, Villalpando also noted that several strategies have been launched for the recovery of the area. Rehabilitating the buildings surrounding the square has been the main action, for which legal measures have sought to establish formal and regular investment by private entrepreneurs.
Still, the area around Garibaldi Square has complex problems which require urgent solutions. These relate to public safety, site management and cleaning. “We are far from the square to be one hundred percent clean,” said Villalpando.
On the occasion of Santa Cecilia, there was also a performance in tribute to Jose Alfredo Jimenez, one of the most important composers. Several performers also did their shows on different kinds of Mexican vernacular music. The Queen of the festivities was the singer Miriam Núñez.

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