The Mexican government spared no expense in throwing itself a huge party to celebrate 200 years of independence from Spain, sparking some criticism that the money could have been used for more practical improvements like schools and roads. The fiesta reportedly came with a $40 million price tag and a big chunk of the budget must have been spent on the jaw-dropping fireworks display which served as the finale around midnight on September 15 in Mexico City’s main square, the Zócalo.

It’s being called the biggest fireworks display in Mexico’s history and we believe it. For more than 15 minutes the sky lit up and the ground shook as hundreds of well-choreographed pirotecnias were let loose. These included a bunch of fireballs that turned into spinners which were mounted on stands affixed to the façade of the massive Catedral Metropolitana on the Zócalo, turning the historic building into an architectural version of a castillo, the fireworks towers normally made out of bamboo which are part of almost every celebration in cities and towns across the country.

About mid-way into the fireworks show, the wind shifted and began carrying smoke and ash created by the massive display right over the crowd, at times obscuring some of the light and color. But even that didn’t really dampen the effect. See for yourself in our video, below, beginning with the “concert of flames” from the roof of the Presidential Palace.

You even get a glimpse of the brand new 2010 Miss Universe, Mexico’s own Ximena Navarrete, who was on a balcony just above us. Look closely near the end of the video and you’ll also see the distinctive white-haired Vicente Fernández on the balcony too–one of Mexico’s most iconic living singers.

And if you haven’t already seen it, watch our video of President Felipe Calderón delivering the traditional ode to Hidalgo’s Grito Mexicano which sparked the Mexican War of Independencein the first place…

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