Celebration around San Diego County will mark Mexico’s 215th Independence Day this weekend, featuring music, dancing, food and traditional crafts from Chula Vista to Escondido.

The official Mexican Independence Day is Tuesday, but multiple events will commemorate the Grito de Delores — Cry of Delores — on Saturday and Sunday.

On Sept. 16, 1810, Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang a church bell in Dolores, Mexico and gave a call to arms that ignited the Mexican War of Independence. This independence from Spain took a bloody 11 years and 12 days to achieve, but the Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire was signed on Sept. 28, 1821.

In San Diego’s historic Old Town, the Fiestas Patrias begins Saturday at Old Town State Historic Park with a parade featuring park staff

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