18,000 Mexicans strip for artist's photo

More than 18,000 people stripped down to bared it all for U.S. photographer Spencer Tunick's biggest nude shoot yet on Sunday in Mexico City's Zocalo square, the heart of the ancient Aztec empire.

Spencer Tunick is a Brooklyn, N.Y. artist that is famous for his nude photographs of people in public settings around the world. Nudity is not looked upon badly in Mexico City. Some people will protest in the streets wearing nothing but a smile. This time he wanted to do his biggest nude photo shoot ever. He got more than 18,000 people to pose nude in Mexico City's main square on Sunday. The people were photographed from balconies and a small crane. He had them laying on tiles of the Zocalo plaza, which is the size of five football fields, or in the fetal position or standing up saluting. He said What a moment for the Mexican art scene!" "I think all eyes are looking south from the United Sates to Mexico City to see how a country can be free and treat the naked body as art. Not as pornography or as a crime, but with happiness and caring.""I just create shapes and forms with human bodies. It's an abstraction, it's a performance, it's an installation," "So I don't care how many people showed up. All I know is that I filled up my space." Most of the volunteers were young men but they had a vast selection of all ages and social classes show up. One of the photos was he had the models lay down to form a blanket of flesh around a naked man in a wheelchair. Another photo, the models saluted their flag standing upright. This photo shoot beat his last one in Barcelona in 2003 where he had 7000 models show up. This is not for me, I am very shy. But hats off to those that can do this. For those wanting to sign up to participate in the shoots, you can sign up here.