Overview

• The Presidency leads the annual September 13 tribute in Chapultepec, with cabinet members, military chiefs and invited guests in attendance.
• The program includes flag honors, the National Anthem, salvos, the roll call of fallen cadets, delivery of espadines, a wreath-laying and a minute of silence.
• The Altar a la Patria, built between 1947 and 1952 in the Bosque de Chapultepec, houses the remains of six defenders and serves as the focal point of the homage.
• The observance honors cadets of the Heroico Colegio Militar alongside the Batallón Activo de San Blas and other forces who resisted the U.S. assault on September 13, 1847.
• Commentary around the date revisits disputed details—such as whether Juan Escutia or Fernando Montes de Oca wrapped the flag before leaping—and uses the remembrance to reflect on present-day issues.