Clowns bring smiles to Mexico City.[AP Photo]

Clowns bring smiles to Mexico City.[AFP]

Clowns are important in Mexican culture, even in everyday life. There are thousands of them, popping up on intersections and public plazas, performing a few tricks - earning a few pesos. It's a tough life. But clowns have their standards and this convention is about keeping the standards high.

So the clowns paraded and clowned through Mexico City's streets. Kids were amazed and delighted at the motley looking assembly.

According to the Latin-American Clown Association there are some 10,000 professional clowns in Mexico. About 3-thousand of them are women.