All that remains of the colourful signs marking the street food stands in Mexico City are silhouettes, replaced by a bland local government sign. The mayor of Cuauhtemoc municipality which includes the old town and the traditional neighbourhoods of Condesa, Roma and Juarez, has ordered the removal of the colourful signs that adorned hundreds of food stalls, in an effort to 'clean up the city's image'. But the colourful tin stands, where thousands of people flock to eat, are "part of the city's identity", argues a citizens' collective that rejects the mayor's decision. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES