MEXICO: Pies in the Sky

In Mexico City's bustling Barrio Santa Maria, a huge crowd gathered, staring intently up into the sky. Dario Moctezuma joined the skygazers, but complained that he could see nothing. An obliging stranger threw an arm around his shoulder, pointed up—and sure enough, Dario thought he discerned a white globelike shape floating by. When his gaze returned earthward, he saw the stranger disappearing around the corner. Dario slapped the pocket where his wallet had been and began to yell: "Policia, policia!"

All over Mexico last week, pickpockets, adding a hyper-modern wrinkle to their ancient profession, did a booming trade among crowds...

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