Ammon News - The Mexican Embassy in Jordan marked the 216th anniversary of Mexico’s independence with a music gala at Amman’s historic Odeon Theatre, bringing together Mexican classical and popular traditions in a celebration attended by members of the Royal Family, government officials and the diplomatic community.

The Tuesday evening gala featured renowned Mexican mezzo-soprano María Luisa Tamez and concert pianist Armando Merino, both artists of Mexico’s National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (INBAL).

HRH Princess Basma bint Talal and Princess Wijdan Al-Hashimi attended the celebration, along with Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Nancy Namrouqa, representing the Jordanian government. The reception also drew senior government officials, members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Kingdom, business representatives, academics, media professionals and members of the Mexican community.

Mexican Ambassador to Jordan Jacob Prado presided over the traditional "Grito de Independencia," or Cry of Independence, ceremony, during which children from the Mexican community in Amman presented him with the Mexican flag.

The ceremony commemorates the beginning of Mexico’s War of Independence. In the early hours of Sept. 16, 1810, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla called on the people of Dolores to rise against colonial rule, setting in motion the independence movement.

The Grito is commemorated each year on the eve of Mexico’s Independence Day across the country and at Mexican diplomatic and consular missions worldwide.

Music was at the center of this year’s celebration in Amman, with Tamez and Merino presenting a program drawing on Mexico’s classical and popular musical traditions.

Tamez, born in Mexico City into a family of professional singers, has built an international opera career spanning more than 45 years, performing across Europe, the Americas and Asia.

After three decades performing as a lyric-spinto and dramatic soprano, she transitioned to mezzo-soprano, with Carmen becoming one of her signature roles, which she has performed more than 100 times. In 2025, she received Mexico’s Medalla Bellas Artes in Music in recognition of her artistic career and contribution to Mexican opera.

Merino, also a native of Mexico City, has performed as a soloist, with orchestras, alongside singers and as part of chamber ensembles in Mexico, the United States and France.

A graduate of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the Manhattan School of Music, he is a full professor at UNAM’s Faculty of Music and a member of INBAL’s Concert Artists Group. His recordings include world-premiere performances of works by Mexican composers.

The embassy said the celebration forms part of its efforts to deepen cultural exchange between Mexico and Jordan and promote greater understanding of Mexican history, heritage and the arts.