MEXICO CITY.- In Mexico City, and throughout the country, a march to protest the disappearance of 43 missing students swept through the streets of the capital, and cities throughout the country. The march was timed on the same day that commemorates the start of the Mexican Revolution of 1910, and came almost two months since the disappearance of the students.

In pictures that have now been viewed throughout Mexico, and the world, what is most striking in addition to the sheer amount of people protesting were the symbolic incidents that occurred throughout the night. The following is a summary of what took place that night.

A National Movement

Students, teachers, laborers and citizens at large marched on the evening of November 20th, throughout some of Mexico's City's most symbolic public squares and streets. The march was called as a measure of solidarity to support the families and parents of the missing 43 students, to pressure the government for more answers surroundingtheir disappearance that occurred nearly two months ago.

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Authorities first indicated estimates of between fifteen thousand and thirty thousand protesters, but later

increased their estimates. The capital's main square alone, known as the Zocalo, was completely full and has the capacity to hold 100 thousand protesters.

Other organizations state that the official estimate falls short , and the Center for Human rights, for example, calculated, a turnout of more like half a milliion people when factoring in not only the Zocalo, but those marching down Avenida Juarez and throughout other public squares in the capital.

Peaceful Protest

Considering the scale of this protest, the lack of violence was remarkable. While there were some incidents involving hooded protesters and police at the beginning and end of the event, the majority agree that the main sense of the protest was peaceful and that those incidents were isolated.

3.- Hooded Persons Vandalize Palacio Nacional

After a message on behalf of the family members of the missing students, a group of hooded persons launched explosives and attempted to remove the barricades that separated the crowd from the National Palace.

4.-Police Confrontation

Thirty-One People were detained at the event, after altercations with the police involving thrown objects such as molotov bombs.

Symbolic Burning of President Peña Nieto

In Mexico City's main square, a paper-maché statue of a clown-like President Peña Nieto was burned. This symbolic gesture is representative of the general feeling that the violence and impunity surrounding the missing 43 students has not been handled appropriately by the president.

Elizabeth.rosales@sandiegored.com