There are the bicentennial buses. Bicentennial roads. A bicentennial marathon. A bicentennial song. The bicentennial digital library. A bicentennial video game. Even a bicentennial bird, the mountain trogan, and plant, the owl agave. And of course the bicentennial fireworks extravaganza, planned to be the largest the country has ever seen. What appears to be missing is bicentennial enthusiasm. By accident of timing, as Mexico approaches the 200th anniversary on Thursday of the start of its rebellion against Spain, the national mood has sunk into its deepest funk in years. A four-year drug war has taken more than 28,000 lives has seeped into previously quiet corners of the country. Just Sunday night in the central city of Puebla, heavily armed marines captured Sergio Villarreal, known as El Grande, the leader of the Beltran Leyva drug cartel. The bloodiest town, Ciudad Juarez, just across the border from El Paso, has canceled bicentennial celebratory fireworks out of safety concerns. So have at least two dozen other towns. Major commemorative public works projects, including the bicentennial monument itself, the Estela de Luz, a 30-story quartz obelisk in the capital, will not be completed in time for the big day. A poll last week in Reforma, a daily newspaper, found only tepid support for the government's celebration here in the capital, and a range of critics have suggested that the tens of millions of dollars -- $53 million for the monument alone -- would be better spent on schools, health care and other pressing social needs. 'We are in mourning,' said Ricardo Valdez, 53, a laborer passing through the historic Zocalo, Mexico City's vast main square, where workers were busy on Thursday erecting scaffolding, staging and decorations for the celebration. 'Look at all this useless expense.' The government still expects tens of thousands to fill the heavily guarded Zocalo, as they do every independence day. The highlight of the celebration, which also commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Mexican revolution, will be a series of spectacles on Wednesday night. The aim is a party for the ages, with dancing, an aerial acrobatic show and performances by celebrities including the chart-topping Tigres del Norte. Infusing a sense of unity is a daunting task in a country with 32 states, ranging from the tropical rainforests in the south to the desert of the north, from remote highland Indian villages to Miami-style beach resorts. But it is not hard to find those with a more positive outlook, particularly as independence day approaches. Emiliano Galvez, 31, a car mechanic who bought a red, green and white mini-sombrero for his 5-year-old son on a recent afternoon, felt a burst of pride as he watched preparations. 'This is my country, so of course we are going to celebrate,' he said. 'We grew up learning about our heroes, and now this is the time to really celebrate them, not to complain about the country.' 