BROWNSVILLE, Texas (NEXSTAR) -- Mexican Independence came with passion, a fight, and pride. Now several generations later, it is celebrated with cultural dances, music, food, and family. "Oh! It's so important," said Judith Arrieta, Consulate of Mexico in Brownsville, Texas. It's been 215 years since Mexico declared independence from Spain, and Arrieta says since then, celebrating independence has unified the diverse cultures of Mexico. "It unites not only different indigenous people, many of the time of the Spanish that were living there they already had children and married to all kinds of other ethnicities and groups that arrive," Arrieta said. "But this is a unified nation which is rich in culture and very proud." And while many non-Mexicans may confuse Cinco de Mayo with Mexican Independence, celebrated on September 16, Arrieta says both are important in Mexican history, but independence should not be overshadowed. Cinco de Mayo celebrates a battle won by Mexican forces against France in Puebla. "It was such a joy in the north that we contained that power, that it is in the memory of the people that Cinco de Mayo has to be celebrated," Arrieta said. "But on the other hand, this is not the real struggle of independence. We don’t want to remember the sadness, or the struggle. We want to be proud of what we are and the first thing first is our independence." That pride can be felt through the food, music, dance and history told at celebrations in Mexico and in other parts of the world. It also gets passed down through the generations. "Many young people that have parents that are coming from Mexico they have learned to love Mexican food and they are learning Spanish," Arrieta said. She also invited anyone born in the U.S. with Mexican ancestry to visit the consulate and become a Mexican citizen.