Mexico City, Mexico - Laughter was a serious matter at a clown convention in Mexico City, where hundreds of brightly-dressed clowns from around the world gathered this past week to discover some of the secrets of making people laugh.

They converged at the capital city's 'Mother's Monument' and then set about laughing and guffawing for a full 15 minutes, hoping that a world with more laughter will have less time for violence.

"Our 'laugh for peace' is held to speak out against violent conflicts, especially the internal conflicts in Mexico. We hope we can make more people love peace and learn to smile more often," said Tomas Morales, Chairman of the Mexico Clown Association.

Morales, who organized the 17th annual Feria de la Risa, or Laughter Fair, is a master clown and has been performing for 19 of his 60 years. He plays a "grotesque" clown called Llantom and changes his color scheme daily - his fright wig always matches his suit, sometimes blue, other days electric orange, or perhaps yellow.

Llantom said what he calls "simple" clowns taunt their audiences searching for flaws, turning the spotlight away from themselves and onto their viewers. What he describes as "prepared" clowns keep the focus on themselves, entertaining the audience without resorting to the ridicule of others.

Demonstrating the kind of humor employed by more sophisticated clowns, Llantom delighted a young boy who held a stuffed toy monkey as he walked across a theater lobby. Llantom introduced himself to the child and told him how much he liked his dog, referring to the plush fake monkey.

According to Llantom, some of the more sophisticated clowns employ props - like white-faced, rose-color costumed Paulynn, who carried a white fake dog called Chuleta. Another clown had a fake rat in his pocket.

Those attending the clown fair paid $50 to attend workshops teaching skills ranging from how to twist balloons into sculptures to the intricacies of clown makeup and costumes.

But the biggest attractions were afternoon performance competitions at local theaters, with clowns filling red plush seats to draw inspiration as they watched each other's skits. Participating in a theater on a well-lit stage is a real luxury for clowns who have spent the previous year working private parties or in the streets.

Several of the clowns posed for portraits. Among them were an 83-year-old woman who plays a white-faced clown called Tikitiki, a group of seven teenage boys with cat-like faces known as the Amigatos, and a traditional-style French medieval court jester. A few party-crashers made up to look like famous personalities such as Charlie Chaplin or Albert Einstein made cameo appearances.

Clowns are an important part of Mexican culture. The country has about 10,000 clowns, 70 percent of them male. They participate in all kinds of festival activities, such as carnival street parades and parties, to bring laughter to others.