Mexico City residents participate in a huge parade to celebrate the anniversary of the 1862 victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla. Hundreds of revelers dressed as French and Mexican troops march, sing and fire blanks in the working-class neighborhood of El Penon de los Banos, near Mexico City's international airport. "Ever since I was a child, this tradition has been passed down to me by my uncles and grandparents, and we don't want it to die out," says Jose Luis Arriaga, a participant dressed as a French soldier. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES