ABOUT 1,000 members of the Latin American refugee caravan moved north from Cordoba this morning towards the capital Mexico City, disregarding government instructions to approach the US border via the Veracruz coastal state.

The refugees voted for this position in a Cordoba gymnasium last night, agreeing to approach the city by walking and hitching rides.

Cordoba is 178 miles from the capital by the shortest route and the caravan members hope to regroup in the Mexican capital, seeking medical care and rest while they await stragglers.

The caravan has found strength in numbers as it meanders north, with local people coming out to offer food, water, fresh clothes and replacement footwear.

While the bulk of the caravan streamed into Cordoba, a colonial era city in Veracruz’s sugar belt, to be greeted with Caribbean music and dance, some had forged ahead to Mexico City.

A few arrived at a large outdoor stadium in the capital, where they rested on terraced seating and watched locals play football.

City workers piled hot food onto plates for the refugees, some of whom had hopped on heavy good vehicles to speed their arrival to the capital.

Most caravan members remain convinced that travelling as a mass is their best hope for reaching the US.

They say they are fleeing rampant poverty, gang violence and political instability Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua.

Mexico has three refugee caravans stretched over 300 miles of roads in Chiapas, Oaxaca and Veracruz states, numbering over 5,000 people.