Members of the Mexican Armed Forces take part in a military parade to commemorate Mexico's Independence Day in Mexico City, capital of Mexico, on Sept. 16, 2018.
MEXICO CITY, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Mexico marked its Independence Day on Sunday with a military parade that drew thousands to the capital's central square and main thoroughfare, Reforma Avenue.
In all, 18,736 members of the armed forces took part in the parade presided over by President Enrique Pena Nieto.
The parade, which marked 208 years of independence from Spain, kicked off with a rousing 21-gun salute and culminated with 190 military aircraft flying in synchronicity.
This year's parade featured a celebrity well-known to most, if not all, Mexicans -- the emergency rescue dog Frida, who helped rescue victims in the aftermath of the powerful earthquake that hit Mexico City on Sept. 19,2017.
For vendor Eustiquio Nava, 76, the highlight of the military parade was a tile mosaic created by 4,800 marines and soldiers outside the National Palace, the symbolic seat of government that overlooks the square.
"The coordination of their movements, with their hands holding the cardboard tiles, was impressive, forming giant murals with images of the Mexican flag, as their trainers gave orders with whistles," said Nava.
