Mexico City’s 1000th same-sex marriage took place on Sunday, just over a year since the capital passed the first marriage equality law in Latin America.

The Civil Registry (Oficina del Registro Civil) released a statement including statistics on same-sex marriages that have taken place since 4 March 2010, when the new equality law, passed in December the previous year, came into force.

The legislation redefined marriage as “a free union between two people”, rather than as “between a man and woman” as had been stated before. It also extended to same-sex couples all the rights enjoyed by those in heterosexual marriages.

Of the first thousand marriages, there were 452 lesbian unions. It appears that many older couples jumped at the opportunity to wed, with over 85 percent of marriages taking place between people over the age of 31. The average marrying age in Mexico is 28 for men and 25 for women.

Supporters of the bill originally argued that the measure would help boost gay tourism to the city. The 1000th marriage was between a Mexican and a Dutch man while approximately six percent of all same-sex marriages were between foreigners. The capital is now promoting itself as a gay-friendly honeymoon destination.

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