The city of San Miguel de Allende came out in force on Sunday to celebrate the 255th anniversary of the birth of Don Ignacio Allende y Unzaga, hero of the Mexican Revolution of 1810.

The city, through its Directorate of Culture and Traditions, has presented a slate of civic and cultural events in honor of the birthday that will culminate in a huge fireworks display tonight.

The most visible of all these events is the traditional Great Military and Civic Parade which started around 10:30 a.m. and marched through Centro, down Zacateros, up the Ancha, and terminated on Cardo.

(Click on any image to enlarge it.)

The parade is a mix of school children, college and tech school students, soldiers, National Guard units, public security agencies, marching bands, and beauty queens. There were groups from Celeya, Leon, and Guanajuato augmenting local marchers.

Enjoy these photos!