Mexico city, as seen from the air on election day, July 1, 2012. In the foreground can be seen a billboard advertising the candidacy of Enrique Pe–a Nieto, the eventual winner of Mexico's presidency.

On election day, voters in one of Mexico City's poorer neighborhoods line up outside waiting to cast their ballots. The busy streets of Mexico City provide no respite from the constant bombardment of vendors hawking everything from cell phone cases to street food, in this case some "cabeza," or beef head tacos.

All the parties are encouraged to send election "observers" to the polls on election day, who show up in party colors and stand in visible proximity to the polling booths ostensibly to ensure free and fair elections.

Polls close at 6pm on election Sunday, at which point ballots are counted and reported. There are several political parties represented on the ballot, but many of them endorse the same mainstream candidates for president, which has the cumulative effect of putting a few candidates on the ballot multiple times.

The Cathedral of Mexico City is perhaps the most prominent and recognizable feature of the Zócalo, Mexico City's capital plaza. A great deal of uncertainty hangs over Mexico in the coming years, as PRI returns to power many Mexicans expect to see a reduction in violence across the county, but at what cost to their freedom?