The opening of the 35th International Pyrotechnics Festival brightened the Saturday night sky above Tultepec a concert by local schoolchildren and much more Opening night was a hit with its castillo de torre (tower castle) contest fireworks companies demonstrated their talents with colossal towering structures adorned with all kinds of fireworks The pyrotechnics structures are as much about creativity as they are about firepower While some are simply made into geometric shapes some are made to look like recognizable figures — such as Jesus on the cross considered the patron saint of fireworks artisans in the region) and Texcocan poet-king Nezahualcoyotl — or iconic imagery such as the Mexica calendar The castillos are judged on artistic presentation degree of difficulty and the quality of the fireworks — as well as audience reactions Other popular pyrotechnic events still to come during this year’s two-week fair include the popular March 8 parade of the toritos — fireworks connected to bull-shaped structures — a musical fireworks contest on March 9 and an international musical fireworks contest on March 16 Among the countries taking part in the latter contest are Puerto Rico For a schedule of the events for the remainder of this year’s festival (in Spanish), go here The fair has its roots in 19th-century torito parades sponsored by Tultepec fireworks guilds and held on St The event now serves to promote Mexico’s traditional fireworks industry which produces nearly 6 billion pesos (US $354 million) of recreational explosives annually Tultepec produces roughly three-quarters of the nation’s fireworks and about 40,000 local families — nearly 60% of the municipality’s population — work in the production and distribution of fireworks Although specialized training has made the industry safer In 2018, 24 people were killed and dozens were injured by a series of explosions in the municipality Twenty-two of the dead were rescue personnel killed by subsequent explosions after approaching the scene following the initial explosion Critics say gunpowder and other materials are too often stored in homes and bodegas illegally and under unsafe conditions A December 2016 blast in the Tultepec fireworks market killed 42 people the worst incident in the city’s history and one that made international news The same market was previously destroyed in a 1988 fire after which local authorities banned the manufacturing and wholesaling of fireworks within the city limits and the International Pyrotechnic Festival was inaugurated to compensate for the loss of revenues With reporting from La Jornada and El Universal ADVERTISE WITH MND COMMUNITY GUIDELINES Subscription FAQ's Privacy Policy Mexico News Daily - Property of Tavana LLC Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. People dance and dodge a giant paper-mache bull stuffed with fireworks as roman candles and bottle rockets shower them with sparks, during the annual festival honoring Saint John of God, in Tultepec, Mexico, Friday, March 8, 2024. The celebration, now its 35th year, pays homage to the patron saint of the poor and sick, St. John of God, who the fireworks’ producers view as a protective figure. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) A resident pulls a giant paper-mache “torito” or bull stuffed with fireworks during a nighttime lighting of the bull-shaped figures as part of the annual festival honoring Saint John of God, in Tultepec, Mexico, Friday, March 8, 2024. The celebration, now its 35th year, pays homage to the patron saint of the poor and sick, St. John of God, who the fireworks’ producers view as a protective figure. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) Residents attend the nighttime lighting of giant paper-mache “toritos” or bulls stuffed with fireworks during the annual festival honoring Saint John of God, in Tultepec, Mexico, Friday, March 8, 2024. The celebration, now its 35th year, pays homage to the patron saint of the poor and sick, St. John of God, who the fireworks’ producers view as a protective figure. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) People dance around a giant paper-mache bull stuffed with fireworks as roman candles and bottle rockets shower them with sparks, during the annual festival honoring Saint John of God, in Tultepec, Mexico, Friday, March 8, 2024. The celebration, now its 35th year, pays homage to the patron saint of the poor and sick, St. John of God, who the fireworks’ producers view as a protective figure. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) Pyrotechnic artisans create a bull of lights for the annual festival in honor of Saint John of God, the patron saint of the poor and sick whom fireworks producers view as a protective figure, in Tultepec, Mexico, Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) Edward Martinez makes a paper-mache bull to be stuffed with fireworks at his family’s workshop in preparation for the annual festival in honor of Saint John of God, the patron saint of the poor and sick whom fireworks producers view as a protective figure, in Tultepec, Mexico, Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) A member of the Cortes Miranda family paints a paper-mache bull that will be stuffed with fireworks in preparation for the annual festival in honor of Saint John of God, the patron saint of the poor and sick whom fireworks producers view as a protective figure, in Tultepec, Mexico, Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) Members of the Cortes Miranda family construct paper-mache bulls that will be stuffed with fireworks, in preparation for the annual festival in honor of Saint John of God, the patron saint of the poor and sick whom fireworks producers view as a protective figure, in Tultepec, Mexico, Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) Rafael Martinez works with gunpowder to make fireworks at his family’s workshop in preparation for the annual festival in honor of Saint John of God, the patron saint of the poor and sick whom fireworks producers view as a protective figure, in Tultepec, Mexico, Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) Paper-mache bulls to be stuffed with fireworks are stored in a warehouse ahead of the annual festival honoring Saint John of God, the patron saint of the poor and sick whom fireworks producers view as a protective figure, in Tultepec, Mexico, Thursday, March 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) A paper-mache bull sits alongside strings of fireworks in a warehouse ahead of the annual festival honoring Saint John of God, the patron saint of the poor and sick whom fireworks producers view as a protective figure, in Tultepec, Mexico, Thursday, March 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) Fireworks artisan Francisco Cortes loads paper-mache “toritos” or bulls into the back of his, to deliver to clients ahead of the annual festival in honor of Saint John of God, the patron saint of the poor and sick whom fireworks producers view as a protective figure, in Tultepec, Mexico, Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) A paper-mache figure of Saint John of God stands in a fireworks workshop, made for the annual festival in honor of the Catholic saint, in Tultepec, Mexico, Wednesday, March 6, 2024. The celebration, now its 35th year, is to pay homage to the patron saint of the poor and sick, who the fireworks producers view as a protective figure. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) Residents push a giant paper-mache “torito” or bull stuffed with fireworks during a nighttime lighting of bull-shaped figures as part of the annual festival honoring Saint John of God, in Tultepec, Mexico, Friday, March 8, 2024. The celebration, now its 35th year, pays homage to the patron saint of the poor and sick, St. John of God, who the fireworks’ producers view as a protective figure. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) TULTEPEC, Mexico (AP) — Every year, in the first week of March, hundreds of giant paper-mache bulls stuffed with fireworks are erected in the front yards of the Mexican town of Tultepec. Thousands of restless fingers carefully cut, pasted and painted the colorful patterns that brought the “toritos” to life on Friday, during an annual celebration when the bull-shaped figures were set alight. Thousands of people gathered to dance and dodge amid the bulls as roman candles and bottle rockets showered them with sparks, and spinners nipped at their legs. Many wore heavy cotton clothes soaked in water to protect themselves against burns. Unlike past occasions, the nighttime lighting of the bulls didn’t take place in the streets of Tultepec, but rather in an open field nearby. The crowd packed into the field saw a mix of moments, with some running from angry fire-spitting bulls, like a pyrotechnic version of the running of the bulls festival in Pamplona, Spain. Then, it turned into a kind of mass rave where people, mostly young men, danced, jumping up and down to the odd beat of fireworks going off and chanting “Fire! Fire! Fire!” under a rain of sparks and smoke. The celebration, now its 35th year, pays homage and thanks the patron saint of the poor and sick, St. John of God, who the fireworks’ producers — a mainstay of the town’s economy — view as a protective figure. But the festivities are also a way for the town of Tultepec, just north of Mexico City, to keep their craft alive and draw people to the town after a massive, devastating explosion at the workshops in 2018 killed 25 people and wounded twice that number. One of the best-known workshops is the family-run business, Los Chavitos, which has been producing cardboard figures for fireworks for 15 years. Their figures range from very small bulls to giant ones, to figures of saints and imaginary animals known as alebrijes. Every year, the workshop produces hundreds of smaller “bulls,” with roman candles for horns that are carried on someone’s shoulders through the streets of countless small towns in Mexico, sending kids skittering in delight. The shop also produces “Judas” figures of villains and politicians that are traditionally burned during Easter Week in Mexico. But the big, standing bulls of Tultepec mark the high point of the year. Tultepec was one of the first places that began to produce gunpowder in Mexico during the colonial period, because of the town’s abundant supply of saltpeter, a key ingredient. Today, the town is affectionally known as “the capital of pyrotechnics.” Francisco Cortes Urbán, 51, has been a fireworks artisan as long as he can remember. He learned the craft at the age of 12 and has passed his knowledge to his sons. Cortes moved about frantically this week, taking calls, giving instructions and carrying small toritos from one corner of the workshop to the other. Clients were waiting for him to deliver. In the background, a giant bull with colorful pre-Hispanic decorations shined under the sun, where a group of young artisans were busy with the final touches. Once the bull was finished, they had to secure a base on top of it, to hold approximately 1,000 fireworks that exploded when they were lit during the festival. Every March 8, about 300 monumental paper-mache bulls are hauled into the streets of Tultepec, as an offering to accompany the figure of St. John in an iconic procession. Smaller bulls also participate, splashing the sky with colorful explosions. Of course, there were concerns about the safety of it all, but locals were too attached to the beauty of the tradition to worry too much. “Every kind of work has a risk. This also has its risk,” said Cortes. “But we are passionate about it, and it has become our life.” Residents push a giant paper-mache “torito” or bull stuffed with fireworks during a nighttime lighting of bull-shaped figures as part of the annual festival honoring Saint John of God, in Tultepec, Mexico, Friday, March 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) Text description provided by the architects. The PMU Urban Improvement Program has a socio-cultural and educational focus. Societal problems are tackled through architecture and urbanism, seeking to minimize problems such as violence, insecurity, and vandalism with the help of these tools. Particular problems in the area cause the abandonment and misuse of space. This is why the construction of a cultural/sports complex was proposed to recover the area. Because it is located in a ravine, the lot was used as a garbage dump. The proposition was a simple program for a neighborhood center for cultural and recreational sports for the community. It consists of a multi-use field, a multi-use workshop, a library, and a surveillance booth. Croquis 04As part of the landscape of the project, creeping and shrubby species were planted with the intention that they would cover the soil over time. We also contemplated that the floors were permeable and that water could be intentionally directed and naturally run off throughout the site. we are convinced that through the appropriation of projects of this type urban articulators with a playful and educational approach will be generated in these growing municipalities You'll now receive updates based on what you follow Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors If you have done all of this and still can't find the email Tultepec honours those killed in shocking explosion with celebrations and a look to the future: ‘We make art out of anything that happens to us’ A few days before Christmas, something caused a firework to go off at the San Pablito pyrotechnics market on the northern outskirts of Mexico City the blast had unleashed a powerful chain reaction which tore through the market in a cascade of explosions and sent a towering plume of smoke over the town of Tultepec By the time the smoke had cleared, dozens had been killed, scores more were injured, and the market was reduced to a scorched ruin. but this time for the country’s National Pyrotechnics Fair which culminates this weekend in a display of “musical pyrotechnics” and mass release of sky lanterns Officials describe it as both a tribute to the 42 victims of the disaster – and a way of keeping the local economy afloat “The people there that lost family members they don’t know any other work than making and selling fireworks,” said Juventino Luna director of the artisan and pyrotechnic promotion department in the Tultepec municipal government “They’re going to be paid homage to with fireworks because this is what we do in Tultepec.” The San Pablito fireworks market – which once boasted it was the “safest” in Latin America – has exploded on three occasions over the past 12 years A man and child fill fireworks with gunpowder in a workshop in Tultepec The industry is essential to the local economy Photograph: Pedro Pardo/AFP/Getty ImagesIt remains closed but fireworks remain essential to the local economy: an estimated 30,000 people in Tultepec work in the fireworks business Authorities plan to rebuild the San Pablito market after an investigation is completed “Security measures will be improved,” he said “It’s like a car that years ago didn’t even have seatbelts Gunpowder is in the blood for many local families who have been making fireworks for generations “Part of the show is commemorating the dead,” said Francisco Corona who reckons he started in the industry at around the age of six Explosion at Mexico fireworks market leaves 31 dead GuardianDespite the disaster work in many artisanal fireworks factories has continued as usual Pyrotechnics made here are still being sold in other parts of the country but business slumped after the December disaster “This is our economy and people are sad about it who had 50 family members escape the market explosion The fair features a competition of castillos – towering fireworks contraptions normally set off in town squares during patron saint festivities Locals also parade papier mache bulls through the streets every 8 March to celebrate San Juan de Dios Locals cheered and snapped selfies as more than 300 fireworks-laden bulls – all stylized with themes ranging from Aztec warriors to Spiderman – were pushed through the streets Many said the celebration marked an important moment for a community bouncing back from tragedy “We’ve lived through eight serious accidents but year over year we continue to grow and come back better than before,” said fireworks maker César Gómez whose team pushed a bull resembling a phoenix Scrawled across its backside were the defiant words: “In the sky its lights and colours will never be extinguished.” But the dangers are still present. On 4 March, an explosion levelled a home and killed four people – including two children – in Tultepec, but authorities blamed the tragedy on an accumulation of gas. Press reports also said the home contained firework-making materials, including gunpowder – sold exclusively by the defence secretariat, which regulates pyrotechnic activities in Tultepec. Amid a barrage of firecrackers, Gómez sipped on a can of beer and struck a philosophical note: “Accidents are part of the business,” he said. “But the Mexican people have a special quality: we take the positive parts of a tragedy and turn it into a fiesta. We make art out of anything that happens to us.” Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. The incident was filmed at the National Pyrotechnic Festival in Tultepec I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice People at a festival in Mexico have been criticised online after shining dozens of laser beams at a passenger plane It was flying over the National Pyrotechnic Festival in Tultepec on its final approach to Felipe Ángeles International Airport in Zumpango Footage shared on social media shows dozens of lasers being pointed at the low-altitude jet The video was quickly met with backlash by TikTok users with one commenting: “What on earth is wrong with people?? Another said: “I wonder if they think it would be funny if they were travelling on that plane.” The National Pyrotechnic Festival is an annual event that promotes and celebrates Mexico’s production and use of fireworks. More 100,000 attendees watch and take part in the festival, which puts on huge displays of fireworks. Pointing laser beams at an aeroplane is a federal offence in the US that can result in fines of up to £8,700 per violation. Tultpec is known as Mexico’s pyrotechnic capital, and in 2018, a series of explosions at a fireworks depot in the town killed at least 24 people and injured more than 40 others. The town has also previously been badly damaged by explosions at firework factories. There have been calls for the festival to be cancelled due to the explosions, but residents have warned it will greatly affect their livelihoods. An estimated 30,000 people in Tultepec work in the fireworks business, according to the local government. In the UK, it is also illegal to point a laser at air traffic controllers and pilots. People can be punished with five years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both under The Laser Misuse (Vehicles) Act introduced in 2018. Laser misuse has become a growing concern, particularly near airports where they can dazzle and distract pilots and air traffic controllers. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies govt and politics","score":0.757453},{"label":"/business and industrial/business operations","score":0.664705},{"label":"/technology and computing/internet technology","score":0.62887},{"label":"/law CGTN’s Alasdair Baverstock filed this report from Tultepec Tultepec’s economy is based almost entirely on their pyrotechnics manufacture and sale spectators and industry professionals from across the world attend its annual exhibition Many come to compete for the crown of top pyrotechnician They are already done,” German pyrotechnician Laura Lutger said “Here we get the chance to go to the people and see how they are made and in fact some of the parts of the show we made with them.” Tultepec’s annual event drew fireworks industry leaders from Europe and South America Many people consider Tultepec the pyrotechnics capital of the Western Hemisphere While a number of deadly fireworks accidents have cost dozens of lives the town’s industry and passion for fireworks continues to draw big crowds Tultepec’s annual festival is also a chance for the town to showcase its latest innovations to the world “Tultepec makes 80-percent of all the fireworks used in Mexico,” Mexican pyrotechnician Manuel Urban said.  “This is a flagship event for us and ability to compete on the international level with quality It’s also a chance for visitors from around the world to see the cutting edge of pyrotechnics a growing global industry that is projected to grow by more than $2.5 million by 2022 The first time I heard the oh-so-common sound of bottle rockets going off in Mexico As should surprise no one, fireworks are an incredibly big business in Mexico. The Mexican government calculates that a staggering 5.87 billion pesos are spent each year in the country on fireworks few of Mexico’s pyrotechnics shows are highly regimented affairs done only by professionals most are made by artisans for individuals and small communities Traditional Mexican fireworks are a folk art on par with others like pottery and textiles This is reinforced by the construction of castillos (castles) It is one of several culturally important structures in Mexico that get laden with fireworks — but probably the most impressive both because of size and because of the wide range of creative variations A castillo is one or more towers made from wood The show centers on wheels placed on the tower(s) which are powered by small rockets affixed to the edges Like toritos (little bulls) and Judas effigies the public can get pretty darn close to the action but what really sets these castillos apart are the scale castillos cost between 50,000 and 250,000 pesos per tower municipalities and other large organizations can afford  to commission one — and only for important events such as patron saint days and major political holidays Which is used depends on when they are intended to be used Those destined for a nighttime event  night are fireworks-heavy providing both wheel motion and a colorful show Those intended for the daytime have spinning wheels as well but the visual is provided by decorative paper and/or whimsical papier mache figures Mexico ranks first in the world in the making of castillos according to the Instituto Mexiquense de la Pirotecnia (Mexican Pyrotechnics Institute) An average of 51,922  castillos are set off per year — again just for patron saint days — costing a whopping  2.6 billion pesos a close second to individual fireworks sales México state accounts for over 60%  of the country’s fireworks production you talk about the municipality of Tultepec Tultepec has produced fireworks (and gunpowder) since the colonial period Most of the population is involved in the industry in one way or another from the making of the fireworks proper to making castillos All these are still done by hand in small workshops and factories Officially regulated by the Secretary of National Defense there is still a laissez-faire attitude about the constructions of these items that might shock those of us from more regulation-heavy countries but efforts to completely control production and sales have met with resistance his annual feast day on March 8 has been an important opportunity to promote its main economic activity Such promotion began in the late 19th century but since the National Pyrotechnic Festival (Feria Nacional de Pirotechnia) was established in 1989 the festival has grown and secularized tremendously but the running of fireworks-laden bulls in honor of the saint is now only one of various attractions sky lantern releases and various fireworks competitions but now Mexican and even international fireworks makers can demonstrate their skills in castillos pyrotechnics displays set to music and more Castillo artisans compete in two categories with teams of a dozen or more working frantically for two weeks to build structures between 25–30 meters tall The festival is still organized and controlled locally but México state provides significant support as fireworks can drop anywhere from 500 million to 1.2 billion pesos into México state’s economy in any given year The festival is now a major regional tourist attraction fairgrounds were established primarily for the castillos just about all activities have now been moved over to the area in the Pico de Orizaba/Tlamelaca neighborhood the National Fireworks Festival is still extremely important for Tultepec Long-ago swallowed up by Mexico City urban sprawl the municipality struggles to maintain a distinct identity handcrafted pyrotechnics is in danger of disappearing thanks to cheaper fireworks imports from China and elsewhere The state admits that its technology is at least 50 years behind the rest of the world But Mexican fireworks and their displays have links to culture and tradition that foreign rockets cannot hope to match This year’s festival starts Friday and runs until March 13 and you can also see it on videos available on YouTube and other social media Leigh Thelmadatter arrived in Mexico over 20 years ago and fell in love with the land and the culture in particular its handcrafts and art. She is the author of Mexican Cartonería: Paper, Paste and Fiesta (Schiffer 2019) Her culture column appears regularly on Mexico News Daily Two mammoth traps have been found in Tultepec demonstrating that hunters in the late Pleistocene era used more sophisticated hunting methods than previously thought The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) said this week that the traps are the first to be discovered anywhere in the world Workers found the 1.7-meter-deep pits in January on a municipal property about 40 kilometers north of Mexico City while preparing the land for a garbage dump During a 10-month excavation by INAH archaeologists more than 800 bones from at least 14 mammoth skeletons as well as the jawbone and two vertebrae of a camel and the tooth of a horse were found in the traps Archaeologists detected a spear wound on the front of one of the mammoth skulls they found It is believed that hunters may have steered the now-extinct mammals into the traps using torches and branches Archaeologists previously thought that hunters only killed mammoths when they were easy targets because they were hurt or had been trapped naturally in swamplands or mud INAH director Diego Prieto said the discovery “represents a watershed a turning point in what until now we imagined to be the interaction between hunter-gatherers with these huge herbivores.” said that archaeologists believe that there could be three more mammoth traps in the area INAH archaeology coordinator Pedro Sánchez Nava said the site won’t be opened to the public but the remains will go on display at the Mammoth Museum in Tultepec A mammoth skeleton was previously found in Tultepec in 2016 just two kilometers from the site where the traps were discovered Remains of the extinct mammals, ancestors of modern-day elephants, have also been found in other parts of Mexico including Puebla and Jalisco Source: El Universal (sp), BBC (en)  A series of explosions ripped through the San Pablito pyrotechnic market north of Mexico City on Tuesday afternoon engulfing Mexico's largest fireworks market and sending a plume of smoke toward the capital Among the 14 men killed, seven were minors, and a child was among the 16 women killed. One body remains unidentified The market, located in the municipality of Tultepec — which has been called Mexico's pyrotechnic capital — was the country's most well-known fireworks hub and regarded by officials as the safest such market in Latin America But it's not the first time devastating incidents like the one on Tuesday afternoon there have been at least eight other blasts at the market — in 1997 A blast in 1997 left three people dead, according to BBC Mundo while a 1998 explosion in a gunpowder deposit killed a dozen people One death occurred in a similar incident in 1999 An explosion in September 2005, on the eve of Mexican independence celebrations, injured 128 vendors and customers, according to The Guardian Blasts in 2006 and 2007 destroyed the whole market but in the wake of those explosions other safety measures were implemented to prevent chain explosions Fireworks frequently accompany celebrations in Mexico particularly at independence day and holiday festivities On Tuesday the San Pablito market was well stocked and packed with hundreds of customers and vendors "We are obviously in the high season," Tultepec Mayor Armando Portuguez Fuentes told the Associated Press "There was more product than usual because we are a few days away from Christmas and those are the days when the products made here are consumed the most." "People were crying everywhere and desperately running in all directions," 20-year-old witness César Carmona said a 25-year-old resident who lives just streets away from the market Everything was exploding," Crescencia Francisco Garcia who was in the middle of a section of stalls when the blasts began she saw people with burns and cuts and lots of blood People came running out on fire," Walter Garduno told AFP "People were alight — children," he added before trailing off Efforts by first responders were initially stymied by ongoing blasts. The Red Cross deployed 10 ambulances and 50 paramedics to the scene and health officials from nearby localities The Mexican military aided emergency crews by transporting the injured via helicopter and ambulance According to Mexican news site Animal Politico director general of the Mexican Pyrotechnic Institute said that the San Pablito market was the safest fireworks market in Latin America — "with perfectly designed stalls and with sufficient spaces so that there will not be a chain conflagration in case of a spark." Government sources confirmed to Animal Politico that the federal attorney general's office will assume the investigation of the incident because "We are going to identify who is responsible," vowed Mexico state Gov but unfortunately many people's livelihoods depend on this activity." By Wire ServicesWire Service Mexico -- The death toll in a series of explosions at a fireworks market outside Mexico City has risen to 31 as authorities worked to identify badly burned bodies and determine the cause of the tragedy Sixty others were injured in the chain-reaction blasts which occurred midafternoon Tuesday at an open-air market in the city of Tultepec in Mexico state Among the 31 confirmed dead are at least 14 males five died at various hospitals and 26 succumbed at the site -- the San Pablito market Breaking NewsGet the latest breaking news from North Texas and beyond GoogleFacebookBy signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy Mexico's largest and best-known fireworks bazaar Many were reduced to rubble in the spectacular sequence of explosions The market is legal and regulated by various levels of government local officials had insisted publicly that oversight had been stiffened and safety improved at the market which suffered several explosions a decade ago But desperate relatives and friends of the missing complained that officials had not done enough to ensure safety at the sprawling market Anxious kin of the missing have been converging on hospitals and morgues in the area seeking to learn the fate of their loved ones "It's not the first time a tragedy like this occurred 'It will never happen again,'" said Francisco Maldonado who was among those at a hospital inquiring about a relative injured in the blasts "The people go to those places believing the government that everything is safe It's not possible that these things keep on happening." The casualties are thought to include both workers at the market and shoppers who were seeking to buy fireworks for the upcoming holidays Fireworks are a popular part of holiday celebrations both big and small in Mexico Complicating the process of identifying the dead was the fact that many of the victims were badly burned authorities were searching through the rubble and interviewing witnesses as they tried to pinpoint what triggered the series of thunderous explosions The blasts sent columns of smoke and balls of fire hundreds of feet into the air Amateur video captured the spectacle; the scenes have been repeatedly looped on Mexican television Police were investigating a report that a fireworks rocket exploded at one of the stands The salesman working at the stand where the initial explosion reportedly took place was among those who perished The fireworks industry is big business in Tultepec employing hundreds if not thousands in and around the city of 50,000 town officials boasted publicly that the market -- which they labeled the largest of its kind in Latin America -- was safe and equipped with the latest safety gear 12 press release from the city of Tultepec quoted Juan Ignacio Rodarte Cordero director general of the Mexican Institute of Pyrotechnics as saying that the stalls in San Pablito market were "perfectly designed and with sufficient space to avoid a chain-reaction conflagration in the case of a spark." The same release also quoted German Galicia Cortes assuring visitors that they would find "a safe place" featuring all "necessary" security equipment picks and "qualified people who know how to act in case of any incident." Local authorities estimated that 100 tons of fireworks would be sold at the market between August and the end of the year Nine others were released after treatment and four were treated at the scene of the explosion (Special correspondent Tillman reported from Tultepec and Times staff writer McDonnell from Mexico City Cecilia Sanchez of the Times' Mexico City bureau contributed to this report.) Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker At least 14 skeletons of woolly mammoths have been discovered in Mexico in pits apparently built by human hunters to trap and kill the huge animals some 15,000 years ago, according to Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History a touchstone on what we imagined until now was the interaction of hunter-gatherer bands with these enormous herbivores," Pedro Francisco Sánchez Nava national coordinator of archaeology at INAH in clay that had once been at the bottom of Lake Xaltocan of INAH's Directorate of Archaeological Rescue said the discovery offers a more complex and complete concept of how mammoth hunts were carried out.  Archaeologists suggested that the clay area had opened up as the lake receded during the era of mammoths providing hunters with a site easier to dig up to create traps More discoveries: Powerful earthquakes reveal mysterious 15-million-year-old fossil in California said the finding suggests that groups of between 20 and 30 hunters swept a herd of mammoths with torches and branches to divert some of the animals into the traps they were killed and their carcasses cut up “There was little evidence before that hunters attacked mammoths It was thought they frightened them into getting stuck in swamps and then waited for them to die,” he told reporters Wednesday “This is evidence of direct attacks on mammoths In Tultepec we can see there was the intention to hunt and make use of the mammoths.” He said an important clue was the vertical cuts in the earth where the bones were found indicating the pit had been dug by humans Archaeologists working in the Tultepec sites for 10 months found 824 bones  100 vertebrae and 179 ribs Cordoba Barradas said one skull had what appeared to be a long term fracture indicating that hunters may have battled that particular mammoth for years He said the way the bones were ritually displayed indicated that the hunters "had to consider him brave While the 14 mammoths found at the site are far less than the hundred-plus found at sites in northern and eastern Europe the discovery qualifies Tultepec to be listed as a Mammoth Megasites Rise of the mammals: Trove of 66-million-year-old fossils discovered from post-dinosaur era leaving many angry over the repeated disasters Nineteen people have been killed and at least 40 injured in a string of explosions that ripped through fireworks workshops just north of Mexico City – the latest in a series of deadly blasts to hit the area. Video of Thursday’s disaster showed an immense plume of smoke rising above the area of the explosions in the town of Tultepec. Other images released by local media showed wrecked buildings and scorched ground in a rural patch of modest homes and small farm plots. Officials said that four explosions ripped through the area after fire broke out at a clandestine worshop. “The problem was that after the first explosion, people went running to help, and when the second explosion occurred, these people who ran to help were killed,” Luis Felipe Puente, head of Mexico’s civil defense agency, told the Milenio news network. Read moreThe tragedy comes 18 months after a chain reaction of explosions tore through the San Pablito fireworks market in Tultepec at the height of the busy Christmas season The 2016 blast marked the third time in a decade the site had exploded even though it was supposedly constructed to avoid just such a calamity Mexicans were quick to express anger of officials’ apparent inability to prevent repeated disasters at the same site “Guess what happened in Tultepec (again) …” the Reforma newspaper’s city section tweeted Read more“It’s a high-risk activity and there are a lot of people that depend on it,” said Juan Guerrero He estimated the fireworks business – which supplies the country and attracts hoards of buyers over the independence and Christmas holidays – supports 30,000 jobs There are some people who are third-generation working in it and obviously it’s a good source of work,” he said Critics accuse politicians of refusing to crack down on the industry in order to win elections even going so far as to promise support for those in the fireworks trade mules and donkeys won’t be required to show up for work on Thursday as a ban on the use of animal-drawn garbage carts takes effect in Tultepec trash collectors known as carretoneros (cart drivers) will face fines of almost 1,000 pesos (about US $50) as well as 36 hours of jail time if they defy the ban which was introduced to protect animal welfare Scofflaws could have even have their work permits revoked In prohibiting the use of animals in garbage collection, Tultepec — considered Mexico’s fireworks capital — followed the lead of other México state municipalities such as Nezahualcóyotl, Coacalco and Ecatepec Trash collectors will now have to use motorized vehicles to traverse the streets of Tultepec the municipal government last month approved a 10,000-peso (US $500) payment for carretoneros to help them cover the cost of purchasing a motorbike to pull their carts Mayor Sergio Luna Cortés acknowledged that the payment “isn’t enough” but stressed that it will nevertheless help the rubbish haulers He also noted that authorities are providing them with uniforms and shoes Some 30 trash collectors have already bought adapted motor trikes that effectively function as small garbage trucks The newspaper El Heraldo de México reported that the vehicles cost between 70,000 and 80,000 pesos (US $3,500-$4,000) Luna indicated that trash collectors have had time to make the transition as authorities reached an agreement with them in March to phase out the use of horse mule and donkey-drawn carts over a period of six months But many carretoneros didn’t rush to make a change to the way they have long worked El Universal reported Wednesday that dozens of trash collectors were continuing to use equines to pull their carts The newspaper also said that a total of 87 animals would cease pulling garbage carts on Thursday Tultepec public services director Mario Torres Roldán said in early August that the garbage collectors could sell their horses mules and donkeys or donate them to the local DIF family services agency Animals that are in poor health will be taken to a sanctuary The official also said that the municipal government was working with veterinarians to worm and shoe the cart-hauling equines Torres noted that Tultepec residents generate 60 tonnes of trash a day 90% of which is collected by the municipal government The remaining 10% is collected by the independent carretoneros who explained that most Tultepec trash collectors live in the neighboring municipality of Tultitlán “We’re not stopping them from continuing to work in the municipality but we are asking that they do so under the right conditions,” he said With reports from El Universal and El Heraldo de México  Marco Ugarte has been a photographer based in Mexico City for over 30 years He covered the fireworks festival in nearby Tultepec for just the second time a week ago Aiming to show the artisans’ passion and dedication for the dangerous art of making fireworks Ugarte received training in safety and respect for the pyrotechnics before he focused his camera on the explosive party Here is what he said in Spanish about the experience to Deputy Director of Global Photography Enric Marti: the artisans of the fireworks industry in Tultepec pay tribute to the patron saint of the poor and sick with a festival in which they light papier-mâché bulls filled with pyrotechnics The makers of fireworks see Saint John of God as a guardian This photo is part of a story we did in the nearby village of San Juan We connected with the Cortes family and documented how they prepared their giant bulls on wooden and metal structures and how they prepared and mixed the gunpowder to make the sparklers The artisans work day-by-day amid volatile gunpowder a huge and devastating explosion at the workshops killed 25 people and injured at least 49 What I tried to show in the story is the makers’ devotion to what they love: their art their bulls and the passion of their lives: the pyrotechnics This photo summarizes all that in one image I spent four days learning about the art and love that artisans have for pyrotechnics — and about the consequences of an explosion We were schooled in the dangers of unintended explosions — the burns and the impact a firecracker can have on your body or eyes we wore ear buds and cotton clothes soaked in water We were told to cover our eyes with swimming goggles or a gas mask to wear a helmet or cap and to carry a wet towel Always remember that in dangerous situations like these but you must always be ready to assist others who need your help After going over safety protocols and preparing for the event and took off running after the paper bull and the fireworks to find the light and capture a good photo This photo tries to document in one image a culture deeply rooted in the Mexican traditions of folk art More than 300 paper bulls and thousands of residents and artisans dance in the town square in harmony with the giant bulls filled with fireworks that release colorful pyrotechnic lights ole!″ Amid lots of drinking and plenty of fireworks For more AP photography, click here. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article In this community, the sale of fireworks touches nearly every family, and so too did the explosion Tuesday afternoon that left the market a field of twisted metal, burned-out cars, broken glass and human remains. At least 32 people were killed and 46 others remained hospitalized Wednesday after an eruption of sparks and flames engulfed the crowded network of stalls that was once considered Latin America’s safest fireworks market. By Wednesday morning, along with a sense of mourning across Mexico, there were also recriminations. It was the third major explosion at the San Pablito market since 2005. “You can’t explain that these tragedies continue to repeat themselves, and the authorities just lament them and send condolences,” said Alejandra Barrales, president of the leftist Democratic Revolution Party. “This demonstrates the lack of care and attention not just here, but in the whole state.” But many here in Tultepec, like Ortiz, have lived a life defined by fireworks sales and the culture of the pirotecnicos. Even after the devastation of the previous day, they were quick to defend the artisanal explosives crafted here through the generations as a source of income, celebration and strength for the community. Now 22, Ortiz has been selling fireworks since he was 12. He knows to have a fire extinguisher and buckets of water handy, and he instructs customers to keep a distance of several feet when they ignite the elaborate standing displays, or castles, that he makes for parties. Ortiz showed pictures of his castles on his phone. He’d experimented with different materials and was proud of the level of detail he put into their construction. ‘’I like the creativity, it’s really fun. It’s even more fun when you light it and people are watching,’’ he said. On his grandmother’s birthday, he estimated, nearly 600 people came into the street to watch him light up the castle he’d made for her as a gift. They had the same enthusiasm they’d shared since they were all children — a mix of glee and fear on their faces. He found himself watching their faces instead of the spectacle. This week though, for the families who had not been spared, the horror that fireworks could cause was all too real. At a clinic near the blast site, Alvaro Hernandez Urban searched for his sister-in-law. She had worked at a fireworks stand that each November and December in the busy holiday season became her home. Now she was missing. Frustrated that he hadn’t been given information from any hospital, nor permitted to see whether any of the unidentified bodies at the morgue might be her, he continued to check lists of names in hopes of finding some new information. ‘’She’s a wonderful person,’’ he said. ‘’It’s worrisome, we have zero information.’’ Rolando Lomas, looking for his brother-in-law, was equally desperate. He had already looked in all the hospitals where the wounded had been sent. ‘’I heard some people were helping victims in their homes,’’ he said. Juan Martinez Leon, who escaped from the blast along with his mother and sister, doesn’t sell fireworks but works with his family at the market selling hand-sewn hats from a cart. When the explosions started, he tried to grab his things, but finally gave up and just ran. Juan Martinez Leon with his mother, Lorenza Leon Lopez, and sister, Marie Cruz Aguilar Mendoza, who all survived the explosion, at their home in Tultepec’s San Antonio Xahuento neighborhood. (Laura Tillman / For The Times ) ‘’I can say I didn’t lose anything — the material isn’t important. I have my mother and sister,” said Leon, who was wearing a sweatshirt with a picture of Santa Claus and the word, in English, “Believe.” “When I was separated from them, that uncertainty and the fear were the worst part,’’ he said. But his daughter, Sara Elizabet Vidal Hernandez, was not so calm. She shook as she spoke about the explosion, describing how emergency workers had instructed bystanders to bring water to pour on the bodies in the rubble to stop them from burning. While her father defended the pirotecnicos, saying they lift the whole community with the income they generate, Hernandez was no longer convinced. ‘’I think they should close. Because this isn’t the first time, it’s been three times that it exploded,’’ she said. ‘’I understand it’s their work here in the community, the fireworks, but it’s dangerous, and too many people died.’’ Along La Saucera Street, a long dirt road lined by concrete-block buildings housing dozens of businesses that sell raw materials for fireworks, there was a sense of resignation. At one company, Piroquim, a match setting fire to its name on the marquee, Pedro Sanabria estimated that up to 90% of the community benefits from the fireworks trade. ‘’That’s how you eat for many people,’’ he said. As for how the explosion could have occurred, that was more complicated. ‘’There are many versions,” he said. “Some say it was provoked, some people didn’t want the market there.’’ Is it possible, as Ortiz had wondered earlier that day, that it could have been caused by a child playing around? ‘’No,’’ Sanabria said, definitively. ‘’Children already know what fireworks are, they know a cometa, a mecha.’’ They know the dangers of a tamalito, a cracker, a trabuco. Other children in other places might have accidents with fireworks, Sanabria said. But certainly not the children of Tultepec. World & Nation Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map Read moreAnnouncing the find on Wednesday researchers from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History said the two pits contained about 824 bones from at least 14 mammoths Hunters may have used torches to scare the mammals into the area with the traps which are about 6ft (1.70m) deep and 25 yards in diameter but one of the skulls found also had marks of a spear wound on the front the leader of the five-person excavation team said the find in the neighbourhood of Tultepec marks a watershed in the study of the relationship between prehistoric hunting and gathering communities and the huge herbivores Read moreThe first signs of pits emerged by chance in January this year during excavations to prepare the land for use as a rubbish tip Córdova Barradas said that at the time the traps were built the area was probably home to about six herds of mammoths He said that further excavations might reveal more traps The archaeologist added that there was still much to study about the mammoth bones already found in the pits and the range of uses they were given by the hunters over why the haul only includes shoulder blades from the right side “The left shoulder blades are missing – why?” he asked Parts of a jawbone and spine of a camel, and the tooth of a horse were also found at the site. Both species later became extinct in the Americas At least 24 people were killed and 49 wounded Thursday when a series of explosions rocked a fireworks factory in the town of Tultepec The first explosion occurred around 9:40 a.m Ambulances of the Red Cross as well as police town hall workers and neighbors rushed to the scene to rescue the victims Three more explosions were heard around 20 minutes later four firefighters and a federal and municipal police officer “Among those who lost their lives in the Tultepec emergency were firefighters and police officers doing their duty," said Luis Felipe Puentes head of Mexico’s Civil Protection Agency.  President Enrique Peña Nieto offered his condolences to “all families of the victims” and wished “a quick recovery” to those who were injured.  The wounded were transferred by helicopters to various regional hospitals and medical centers by air rescue unit Grupo Relampagos Authorities said they would have to determine whether the factory had a state permit adding they would later conduct a comprehensive audit of all permits distributed in the area “We understand that pyrotechnics are a way of life and a longstanding tradition of which we are proud But they must be regulated,” said Interior State Minister Alejandro Ozuna A number of deadly explosions have occurred in Tultepec an explosion in the same neighborhood killed one and wounded eight.  42 people were killed and 70 wounded in a series of blasts at the San Pablito market the largest fireworks market in the country which was crammed due to the coming festive season A blast strikes the San Pablito marketplace in Tultepec MEXICO CITY - At least 27 people died and at least 70 were injured in an explosion at a fireworks market outside the Mexican capital on Tuesday The blast was the third to strike the popular San Pablito marketplace in Tultepec about 20 miles (32 km) north of Mexico City said the death toll was preliminary as rescue workers scoured the site A lack of sufficient security measures had likely caused the blast The federal police tweeted the number of people injured Local television showed a flurry of multi-colored fireworks exploding in all directions in the early afternoon as a massive plume of smoke rose above the market Another video showed people frantically fleeing while aerial footage revealed charred stalls and destroyed buildings The explosion is the latest in a long-running series of fatal explosions and industrial accidents that have roiled Mexico's oil A blast struck the Tultepec fireworks market in September 2005 just before independence day celebrations "I offer my condolences to the relatives of those who lost their lives in this accident and my wishes for a speedy recovery for the injured," President Enrique Pena Nieto said in a tweet Pena Nieto is the former governor of the State of Mexico the country's largest which surrounds the capital The annual nine-day festival attracts more than 100,000 people to bathe in the glow of pyrotechnicians’ expert displays The main event is the Pamplonada — a seven-hour running of the (wooden) bulls in which more than 200 timber-framed toros of fire roll through the streets with up to 4,000 fireworks on each in perpetual explosion Two thousand work daily in the 300 registered workshops manufacturing fireworks It is the essential source of information and ideas that make sense of a world in constant transformation The WIRED conversation illuminates how technology is changing every aspect of our lives—from culture to business The breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking 20 (UPI) -- An explosion at a fireworks market in central Mexico killed at least 29 people and injured dozens more Tuesday The explosion is the third at the market since 2005 The market was reduced to a pile of rubble and burned-out fireworks stands creating what some said was a continuous stream of explosions there were about 2,000 people at the market "My condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this accident and my wishes for a quick recovery for the injured," Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto tweeted late Tuesday Copyright © 2018 CGTN. Beijing ICP prepared NO.16065310-3 Please view the main text area of the page by skipping the main menu. The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Two explosions at fireworks workshops outside Mexico City on Thursday killed at least 24 people in the latest deadly blast to hit a town known for its fireworks production After a first blast in the municipality of Tultepec police and other rescue workers arrived at the scene when a second explosion occurred “Emergency crews attended the call of the first explosion killing and injuring members of these groups,” the statement said Television images showed a plume of smoke rising over buildings on the outskirts of Tultepec and scores of firefighters and rescue workers at the scene The attorney general’s office for the state of Mexico the country’s most populous state which rings the capital said that 17 people had died at the blast site and another seven died in hospital A series of blasts have taken occurred at the fireworks markets including massive explosions in a market in December 2016 that killed around three dozen people the head of Mexico’s civil protection agency said the sale of fireworks in the area would be suspended and permits of manufacturers would be reviewed Powered by PageSuite Dramatic aerial video of Tultepec shows what remains of a fireworks market razed to the ground in a massive series of explosions yesterday Forensic investigators are searching for clues as to what caused the explosions that killed at least 32 people It was the third time in just over a decade that explosions have struck the popular marketplace in Tultepec home to the country's best-known fireworks shopping and about 32 km north of Mexico City in the State of Mexico Forty-six of the injured remain hospitalised while 18 of the dead have yet to be identified due to the severe nature of their burns please register for free or log in to your account تسجيل الدخول An email with a reset link was sent to your mailbox تغيير كلمة المرور