"Pachuco" style in Mexico

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Jose Heriberto Macias Sotelo, Filiberto Flores Mujica, Antonio Guardarrama Tapia and an unidentified friend wear their "Pachuco" outfits while posing for a photograph in Mexico City, March 21, 2014.

Kitted out in zoot suits, snappy shoes and hats, the so-called "pachucos" add a dash of style to the Mexican capital.

Mexico City

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"Pachuco style" hats are seen at the house of Jose de Jesus Gonzalez de la Rosa in Mexico City, May 15, 2013.

The "pachuco" scene is thought to date back to the 1930s and '40s in Los Angeles, where Mexican migrants would wear the snazzy outfits, partly as a symbol of defiance against discrimination. Many modern Pachucos in Mexico follow on from this custom and use the suits not only to go dancing, but also as a continuing sign of protest against the treatment of Mexican immigrants north of the border.

Mexico City

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Jose de Jesus Gonzalez de la Rosa puts on cufflinks while dressing up as a "Pachuco" at his home in Mexico City, May 15, 2013.

Everything from the suit to the shoes is handmade - the shoes can cost from $60 to $120, the suits some $300, each shirt another $30, the hats between $40 and $130.

Mexico City

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A man dressed in "Pachuco" style walks on a street in Mexico City, March 21, 2014.

Mexico City

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Men dressed in "Pachuco" style dance with their female partners dressed as "Rumberas" on a stage in Mexico City, June 15, 2013.

Mexico City

Henry Romero/Reuters

Jose Heriberto Macias Sotelo wears his "Pachuco" outfit while posing for a photograph next to a wall with graffiti in Mexico City, March 21, 2014.

Mexico City

Henry Romero/Reuters

Antonio Guardarrama Tapia (L), Jose de Jesus Gonzalez de la Rosa (C) and Filiberto Flores Mujica wears their Pachuco outfits while posing for a photograph next to a wall with graffiti in Mexico City, March 22, 2014.

Mexico City

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Jose de Jesus Gonzalez de la Rosa, dressed in "Pachuco" style, waits for the subway in Mexico City, June 8, 2013.

Mexico City

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Men dressed in "Pachuco" style show their two-toned shoes in Mexico City, June 15, 2013.

Mexico City

Henry Romero/Reuters

Jose de Jesus Gonzalez de la Rosa wears his "Pachuco" outfit while posing for a photograph next to a wall with graffiti in Mexico City, March 21, 2014.

Mexico City

Henry Romero/Reuters

Jose de Jesus Gonzalez de la Rosa (L) and Oscar Arellano Diaz wear their "Pachuco" outfits while posing for a photograph outside a dance hall named after late Mexican Pachuco Tin Tan, in Mexico City, June 29, 2013.

Mexico City

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Daniel Ramirez wears his "Pachuco" outfit while posing for a photograph next to a wall with graffiti in Mexico City, March 24, 2014.

Mexico City

Henry Romero/Reuters

A man dressed in "Pachuco" style casts his shadow while gesturing in Mexico City, June 15, 2013.