In Mexico, a doleful Mother's Day for those whose children are among the 'disappeared'

MEXICO CITY - The forlorn marchers filed down Paseo de Reforma, the grand, tree-lined boulevard that runs through the heart of the Mexican capital.

"Where are our children?" they chanted.

Many of the hundreds of marchers hoisted placards with images of loved ones. Some donned T-shirts emblazoned with blown-up snapshots of sons and daughters, all appearing larger than life, inevitably flashing bright smiles.

"Where are they?" the people demanded. "Donde estan?"

Mexico on Thursday celebrated Mother's Day, a holiday that is far more than a greeting-card moment across the country. Politicians and others pay public homage to motherhood, merchants hawk mom-themed balloons, T-shirts and trinkets, flower stands do a booming trade and children escort smartly outfitted mamas to heavily booked restaurants.

But Mother's Day in Mexico has in recent years become the date of a doleful annual tradition - so-called