Mexican handcrafted fireworks

Last updated
A "castillo" or castle fireworks frame set off in Mexico City

Mexican handcrafted fireworks production is mostly concentrated in the State of Mexico in central Mexico. The self-declared fireworks capital of Mexico is Tultepec, just north of Mexico City. Although the main ingredient for fireworks, gunpowder, was brought by the conquistadors in the 16th century, fireworks became popular in Mexico in the 19th century. Today, it is Latin America’s second largest producer, almost entirely for domestic use, with products ranging from small firecrackers to large shells and frames for pyrotechnics called “castillos” (castles) and “toritos” (little bulls). The industry is artisanal, with production concentrated in family-owned workshops and small factories with a number operating illegally. The relatively informal production and sales of fireworks have made it dangerous with a number of notable accidents in from the late 1990s to the present, despite attempts to safety regulations.

Contents

History

A "torito" or bull frame for fireworks on display at the Museo de Arte Popular in Mexico City BullFrameMAPDF.JPG
A "torito" or bull frame for fireworks on display at the Museo de Arte Popular in Mexico City

Although pre Hispanic cultures had ways of manipulating fire for ceremonial purposes, the popularity of fireworks came to Mexico late, in the 19th century. [1] [2] Fireworks were invented by the Chinese, and for ceremonial and religious use, which is their main use today in Mexico. [3]

Fireworks production and use came to Mexico through Europe. The main ingredient for them, gunpowder, came with the conquistadors but for military purposes. The first place to start gunpowder manufacture was Tultepec, which during the colonial period was separate from Mexico City and had an abundance of saltpeter, from which the chemicals could be extracted. [4] The popularity of fireworks begin in the 19th century, after Mexico’s independence. [2] [4] Fireworks production, sale and handling is covered by the federal Armas, Municiones, Explosivas y Pirotecnia law, with the aim of reducing the risk associated with the product. [3] This law was enacted in 1963, more geared towards the military. Recent efforts to update the law have included providing training and other measures to extend legal status to irregular manufacturers. [2] Fireworks are a main staple of Mexican religious festivals, especially those for patron saints. However, the main occasion for fireworks use are the celebrations surrounding Mexican Independence, which begins with the reenactment of Father Hidalgo’s cry against the Spanish at 11pm on September 15, 1810. The fireworks are ignited just after the reenactment. [2]

Manufacture

A castle frame for fireworks on display at the Museo de Arte Popular in Mexico City FireworksCastleMAPDF.JPG
A castle frame for fireworks on display at the Museo de Arte Popular in Mexico City
Portions of a "castillo" or castle fireworks frame set off at the National Fireworks Fair in Tultepec FeriaPirtecniaTultepec41.JPG
Portions of a "castillo" or castle fireworks frame set off at the National Fireworks Fair in Tultepec

In Latin America, Mexico is the second largest producer of fireworks, after Brazil. [2] There are over 50,000 families in Mexico which manufacture fireworks, many illegally, [2] [3] with 40,000 families in sixty municipalities in the State of Mexico alone. [5] Many of these artisans are located in the municipalities of Almoloya de Juárez, Axapusco, Tianguistenco, Tenancingo, Tenango del Valle, Otumba, Capulhuac, Coyotepec, Tecámac and Texcoco, along with the community of San Mateo Otzacatipan. [4] [6] However, the biggest producer is the municipality of Tultepec, located just north of Mexico City, which accounts for 25% of all the fireworks produced in Mexico. [2]

There are three internationally recognized pyrotechnic enterprises in Mexico. Lux Pirotecnia is located in Zumpango, known for its rigorous manufacturing methods and participation in international competitions in Europe and Canada. [2] Pirotecnia Reyes won first place at the International Fireworks Competition in Hannover, Germany in 2011 with a fireworks and music show lasting 25 minutes. This enterprise was founded by Manues Reyes Arias who received the 1996 Premio Nacional de las Artes . [7]

Most artisans are trained by their elders with no formal training or formal degrees in chemistry or engineering, although some have abroad for training as well to promote products. [5] [8] Artisans buy ingredients in local chemical supply shops and local markets, which are then mixed by hand in family owned workshops and small factories. Everything is made from scratch, with cartridges made of packing tape and scrap paper purchased in bulk. Often, the fireworks are packaged in nothing but old cornmeal and dog food bags. [9] Most artisans are not formal employees, but rather work in the family business. The formulas used by each workshop are individual and guarded by the families that own them. [8] Workshops are ranked with the best artisans receiving the “maestro” (master) title, able to produce elaborate products such as castillos, bombas, toritos and synchronized fireworks/light/music shows. [8]

Mexican firework production include a number of explosive objects such as “rocas” (rocks, a kind of powerful firecracker), “vampiros” (vampires), “patas de mula” (mule hooves) and “bombas” (large rockets) as well as frames with pyrotechnics called “castillos” (castles), “toritos” (little bulls), “canastillas” (little baskets) and Judas figures. [6] [9] Castillos are generally large wooden frames covered with brilliant flares, which can cost between 20,000 to 250,000 pesos depending on size and complexity. [8] [9] These are most often made to honor patron saints or Mexico’s patriot heroes. [8] Toritos are smaller frames in the shape of a bull, designed to be worn or carried by a person as they are lit, chasing passers-by in the street during festivals. [2] A version of the torito is designed to released candy when set off, which as the effect of having children run toward it, instead of running away. Toritos run about 800 pesos in the market. [8]

The most elaborate product is called a “piromusical” (pyro-musical) a set of fireworks synchronized to music and sometimes lights, with an average commercial price of about 10,000 pesos a minute, usually lasting about fourteen minutes. [8]

Tultepec

Setting off cohetones or rockets during a religious festival in Colonia Doctores in Mexico City FireworksVirginDoc2.JPG
Setting off cohetones or rockets during a religious festival in Colonia Doctores in Mexico City

Most fireworks in Mexico are produced in the State of Mexico, especially the municipality of Tultepec just north of Mexico City, which has declared itself to be the “pyrotechnics capital of Mexico.” [9] [10] This area has a two-hundred year tradition of making fireworks, with, about 65 percent of the population of the municipality is involved directly or indirectly in fireworks production. [4] [8] In Tultepec, all fireworks are made by hand, including decoration and wrapping, mostly in small factories or workshops that produce everything from small firecrackers to twelve-inch shells for professional shows. [4] [9] Tultepec is also one of the main suppliers of ingredients needed to make fireworks. [6]

Most fireworks production in the municipality is crowded into an area called the La Saucera pyrotechnic zone, located outside the town of Tultepec near the communities of Xahuento and Lomas. [5] [8] Originally, all of the fireworks production was scattered around the municipality, but after the explosion and fire of fireworks stands at the La Merced Market in Mexico City in 1988, authorities decided to force artisans into one area away from residential areas and with security precautions such as special warehouses for finished products and to store chemicals. [8]

The State of Mexico’s largest fireworks market is located here as well, called the Mercado de San Pablito, constructed by the state which spent nine million pesos to construct 300 sturdy block stalls. [7] [8] However, this market suffered major explosions in 2005 and 2006, reducing most of the stalls to rubble on both occasions. The market also has problems with regulations on how much they can store and sell in the market, as well as the harassment of customers leaving the market by police. [8] This has led to a fifty percent reduction in sales volume, with sales shifting to other, often clandestine, outlets in the municipality. [8]

The Feria Nacional de la Pirotecnia (National Pyrotechnics Festival) occurs each year in March in Tultepec, featuring a national competition of castillos. [5] Most attendance for the event is for the piromusicales competition, which draws about 10,000 spectators. There are also competitions for toritos and castillos. [11]

Danger

Fireworks exploding over church in Atotonilco de Tula Mexico Fatotonilco.jpg
Fireworks exploding over church in Atotonilco de Tula Mexico

The industry is a dangerous one, mostly due to lack of enforcement of existing safety laws and regulation and lack of professional training. [8] A Tultepec mural shows townspeople, some lacking hands, lighting powder kegs and among castillos. [9] In the State of Mexico alone, there are about 500 artisans who make fireworks illegally, without the proper training or facilities and without permission from authorities. According to the Instituto Mexiquense de la Pirotecnia, the main reason for this is that their manufacture is mostly done in families, rather than in factories. [12] Most accidents have happened in Tultepec, with 46 explosions in the municipality in 2002 alone, with a total of twelve dead and dozens hurt. [2] In 2011, there were fourteen explosions in La Saucera, none of which were fatal, and one in a clandestine shop that left four people dead. [5]

There have been a number of notable accidents related to the manufacture and sale of fireworks in Mexico. In 1998, an explosion in a workshop in the Barrio de San Agustín neighborhood in Tultepec affected over one hundred houses and killed ten neighbors. [8] In 1999, an explosion in Celaya left 56 dead and 350 hurt. [2] In 2003, there was an explosion at the Miguel Hidalgo Market in Veracruz, which started at a clandestine fireworks warehouse that resulted in 28 dead, 35 hurt and 52 missing. [2] In 2006, an explosion at the San Pablito market was attributed to a product called a “cerillo” (match), which consists of a colored stick with chemicals on both ends which produces sparks when scraped on a surface. This led to a yearlong ban on the product so its safety could be reevaluated. [8] The last major accident in Tultepec was in 2016 when a major fireworks explosion in San Pablito killed at least 42. [13]

Sales

In Mexico, fireworks, especially large rockets called “cohetones” are a staple of patron-saint festivals. [9] Religious festivals even in the smallest towns have fireworks, which can include images of the patron saint on a frame outlined in pyrotechnics. This is particularly true to large pilgrimage sites such as that of Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos. [2] The biggest day for fireworks sales is Mexico’s independence day. For Mexico’s Bicentennial celebration at the Zocalo or main square in Mexico City, over 2,400 shells composed the multimedia spectacular which begins by a reenactment of Father Miguel Hidalgo’s call for troops at 11 pm September 15, 1810. [10]

There are three markets specializing in fireworks, San Pablito in Tultepec, one in Chimalhuacán and the other in Zumpango, with San Pablito being the most important in the country. [5] [7]

National sales of fireworks fluctuates between 800,000 and 1,700,000 million pesos per year. [14] Only thirteen Mexican enterprises export abroad, mostly because they do not meet the standards for fireworks set by the United States, the closest major international market. [9] [14] Mexican fireworks tend to be more powerful than mass-produced Chinese ones, which account for most of legal sales in the United States, which tempts many Americans to try to bring them across the border for Fourth of July celebrations. [9]

Mexican fireworks are mostly promoted by the State of Mexico’s Instituto Mexiquense de Pirotecnia, which sponsors events such as art exhibits with a pyrotechnic theme and puppet shows on fireworks safety for children. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State of Mexico</span> State of central Mexico

The State of Mexico, officially just Mexico, is one of the 32 federal entities of the United Mexican States. Commonly known as Edomex to distinguish it from the name of the whole country, it is the most populous, as well as the most densely populated, state in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L'International des Feux Loto-Québec</span>

The Montreal Fireworks Festival, is the largest and most prestigious fireworks competition in the world. It has been held yearly in La Ronde over the Dolphin Lake since 1985 and is named after its main sponsor, Loto-Québec. It hosts an estimated 3 million spectators each year, with approximately 6,000 fireworks set off during each show. Each summer, eight or nine pyrotechnical companies from different countries present a 30-minute-long pyromusical show, competing for the Gold, Silver and Bronze Jupiters or trophies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GlobalFest</span> Annual festival in Calgary, Alberta

GlobalFest is an annual cultural celebration in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metepec</span> Municipality and City in State of Mexico, Mexico

Metepec is a municipality in the State of Mexico in Mexico and is located directly to the east of the state capital, Toluca, at an altitude of 2,635 metres (8,645 ft) above sea level. The center of Mexico City lies some 50 km further to the east. The city of Metepec also form part of the Greater Toluca. The name Metepec comes from Náhuatl meaning hill of the agave plants. However, it is also known in the Matlatzinca language as "Nepinta-Tuhi" meaning 'people of corn land' and in the Otomi language as "Ntaguada".

<span title="Spanish-language text"><i lang="es">Tianguis</i></span> Central American open-air market

A tianguis is an open-air market or bazaar that is traditionally held on certain market days in a town or city neighborhood in Mexico and Central America. This bazaar tradition has its roots well into the pre-Hispanic period and continues in many cases essentially unchanged into the present day. The word tianguis comes from tiyānquiztli or tianquiztli in Classical Nahuatl, the language of the Aztec Empire. In rural areas, many traditional types of merchandise are still sold, such as agriculture supplies and products as well as modern, mass-produced goods. In the cities, mass-produced goods are mostly sold, but the organization of tianguis events is mostly the same. There are also specialty tianguis events for holidays such as Christmas as well as for particular types of items such as cars or art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tultitlán de Mariano Escobedo</span> Town in State of Mexico, Mexico

Tultitlán de Mariano Escobedo is the fourth largest town in and municipal seat of the municipality of Tultitlán located in the northeastern part of the State of México in Mexico. It lies adjacent to the northern tip of the Federal District and is part of the Greater Mexico City urban area. Both the city and the municipality are interchangeably known as San Antonio Tultitlán or simply Tultitlán, a name which comes from Náhuatl meaning "among the tule plants". "de Mariano Escobedo" was added to the city's name in 1902 in honor of the general who fought in the Mexican–American War and for the liberals during the period of La Reforma with Benito Juárez.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santiago Teyahualco</span>

Santiago Teyahualco is the second-largest town in the municipality of Tultepec in the state of México in Mexico. At the Mexican census of 2005 the town reported a population of 47,547 inhabitants. Santiago Teyahualco, is a town located in Tultepec, State of Mexico, Mexico. It has a population of 47547 people, of which 23357 are men and 24190 women. It is characterized mainly by its feast to the patron saint of the town where you can enjoy a kery with local food, castles, bulls, and fireworks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tultepec</span> Municipality in Mexico State, Mexico

Tultepec is a city and municipality located in State of Mexico, Mexico. It lies directly north of Mexico City in the northeastern part of the State of Mexico, making it part of the Greater Mexico City urban area. The name comes from Náhuatl meaning 'hill of the 'tule'. The census of 2005 reported a population of 57,586 for the city and 110,145 for the municipality as a whole.

Lerma is a municipality located just east of Toluca and 54 km west of Mexico City in State of Mexico, Mexico. The municipal seat city of Lerma de Villada was founded in the early colonial period and named after the Duke of Lerma in Spain. The municipal area saw two battles of the Mexican War of Independence, the Battle of Monte de las Cruces and the Battle of Lerma. For a time after independence, the city was the capital of Mexico State before it was moved to Toluca. The municipality is in one of the most densely populated areas of Mexico and is growing. Much of this growth is occurring near the Toluca-Mexico City highway and on the floodplains of the Lerma River. The latter has caused significant problems with flooding when the river overflows its banks during the rainy season. The Nahuatl name for the area is Cacamilhuacan, which translates to “crows in the field.” In the early colonial period, the area was called Santa Clara Cacamilhuacan. The municipality has both an Aztec glyph with a crow reflecting its Nahuatl name and a Spanish coat of arms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pahuatlán</span> Town and Municipality in Puebla, Mexico

Pahuatlán, officially Pahuatlán del Valle, is a town and municipality located in the northwest of the state of Puebla in central Mexico. The municipality is part of the Sierra Norte region of the state, a steep mountainous area which receive significant moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, and borders the states of Hidalgo and Veracruz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guadalupe Yancuictlalpan</span> Place in State of Mexico, Mexico

Guadalupe Yancuictlalpan is a small community, which is part of the municipality of Tianguistenco, Mexico State. The name Yancuictlalpan is most likely derived from the Nahuatl word yancuic, which means "new" and the word tlal.li which means "land".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cartonería</span> Mexican handcraft art form

Cartonería or papier-mâché sculptures are a traditional handcraft in Mexico. The papier-mâché works are also called "carton piedra" for the rigidness of the final product. These sculptures today are generally made for certain yearly celebrations, especially for the Burning of Judas during Holy Week and various decorative items for Day of the Dead. However, they also include piñatas, mojigangas, masks, dolls and more made for various other occasions. There is also a significant market for collectors as well. Papier-mâché was introduced into Mexico during the colonial period, originally to make items for church. Since then, the craft has developed, especially in central Mexico. In the 20th century, the creation of works by Mexico City artisans Pedro Linares and Carmen Caballo Sevilla were recognized as works of art with patrons such as Diego Rivera. The craft has become less popular with more recent generations, but various government and cultural institutions work to preserve it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Pablito, Puebla</span> Town in Puebla, Mexico

San Pablito is a small town located on the side of the Guajalote Mountain in the Sierra Norte de Puebla mountain region in central east Mexico. It belongs to the Pahuatlán municipality of the state of Puebla. Culturally it is dominated by the Otomi although it is part of the La Huasteca region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soteno family</span> Mexican ceramic artisan family

The Soteno family of Metepec is one of the main families of ceramic artisans specializing in sculptures called Trees of Life which have made the town found in the State of Mexico one of Mexico’s main ceramic centers. The Tree of Life is a complicated colorful sculpture which was developed from the creation of candlesticks. The family’s prominence began with Modesta Fernández Mata, the mother, grandmother and great-grandmother of the Soteno potters today, who began experimenting making more decorative items along with utilitarian ones. The generations after her have learned the craft and improved on it starting as children working with parents and grandparents. The two most notable members of the family are Tiburcio and Oscar, second and third generation respectively, who have won various awards and have their works in collections worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pottery of Metepec</span> Pottery of the city in Mexico

The pottery of Metepec is that of a municipality in central Mexico, located near Mexico City. It is noted for durable utilitarian items but more noted for its decorative and ritual items, especially sculptures called “trees of life,” decorative plaques in sun and moon shapes and mermaid like figures called Tlanchanas. Metepec potters such as the Soteno family have won national and international recognition for their work and the town hosts the annual Concurso Nacional de Alfarería y Cerámica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Pyrotechnic Festival</span>

The National Pyrotechnic Festival, which takes place in Mexico, is an annual event to promote the country's tradition of production and use of fireworks. It began as celebration in honor of John of God, the patron saint of fireworks makers, in the municipality of Tultepec, State of Mexico, which produces about three quarters of all Mexico’s fireworks. The main event, a parade of toritos—or bull-shaped frames with fireworks attached to them—began in the mid 19th century. The modern national festival began in 1989 and consists of various events, including fireworks competitions. However, the main event remains that of the toritos; about 250 of which were paraded along the streets of Tultepec during the 2013 festival.

Miguel Hernández Urbán is a Mexican painter and sculptor noted for his monumental works in stainless steel. He trained as a sculptor at the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas but moved into painting under Antonio Rodríguez Luna. He returned to sculpture in the 1980s, experimenting with stainless steel, creating monumental works with it starting in the 1990s. In 1992, he founded the Symposium on Stainless Steel Sculpture in his hometown, the first of its kind in the work, which has since attracted participants from the Americas, Europe and Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Handcrafts and folk art in the State of Mexico</span> Craftwork of Edomex

The Mexican State of Mexico produces various kinds of handcrafted items. While not as well documented as the work of other states, it does produce a number of notable items from the pottery of Metepec, the silverwork of the Mazahua people and various textiles including handwoven serapes and rebozos and knotted rugs. There are seventeen recognized handcraft traditions in the state, and include both those with pre Hispanic origins to those brought over by the Spanish after the Conquest. As the state industrializes and competition from cheaper goods increases, handcraft production has diminished. However, there are a number of efforts by state agencies to promote these traditions both inside and outside of Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 San Pablito Market fireworks explosion</span> 2016 Explosion at the San Pablito Market in Tultepec, Mexico

On 20 December 2016, a fireworks accident occurred at the San Pablito Market in the city of Tultepec, north of Valley of Mexico. At least 42 people were killed in the explosion, and dozens injured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fireworks policy of the United States</span> Overview of the fireworks policy in the United States of America

Fireworks policy in the United States can be different in each jurisdiction.

References

  1. "Juegos Pirotécnicos, cohetes y pólvora" [Pyrotechnic sets, rockets and powder] (in Spanish). Veracruz: Universidad Veracruzana. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "REPORTAJE /EL GRITO ENTRE FUEGOS" [Special report/The cry among fireworks]. La Jornada (in Spanish). Mexico City. September 15, 2003. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 Conti González Báez (July 15, 2006). "Los fuegos artificiales" [Fireworks]. Radio Red AM (in Spanish). Mexico City. Archived from the original on February 21, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Alicia Rivera (September 12, 2011). "Pirotecnia: El sustento de un pueblo" [Pyrotechics: The sustenance of a town]. Milenio Edomex (in Spanish). Toluca. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kristian Villaseñor (February 8, 2012). "Artesanos pirotécnicos arriesgan la vida" [Pyrotechnic artisans risk their lives]. Hoy Estado de Mexico (in Spanish). Toluca. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 "Pirotecnia" [Pyrotechnics] (in Spanish). Mexico: State of Mexico. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 "Artesanos de Tultepec ganan concurso de pirotecnia en Alemania" [Artisans of Tultepec win pyrotechnics competition in Germany]. El Universal /Yahoo noticias (in Spanish). Mexico. September 28, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Silvia Chávez González (September 15, 2008). "Tultepec: artesanos de la pirotecnia buscan preservar una tradición de casi 200 años" [Tultepec: Pyrotechnic artisans look to preserve an almost 200-year-old tradition]. La Jornada (in Spanish). Mexico City. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Chris Hawley (July 1, 2009). "Mexican fireworks pack too much pow". USA TODAY. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  10. 1 2 "México recorre su Historia con fuegos artificiales a un paso del Bicentenario" [Mexico revisits its history with fireworks during its Bicentennial]. El Periodico de Mexico (in Spanish). Mexico City. September 18, 2009. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  11. "Reseña Feria nacional de la Pirotecnia 2012" [Overview of the Feria nacional de la Pirotecnia 2012] (in Spanish). Mexico: State of Mexico. March 10, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  12. "Existen 500 artesanos de la pirotecnia irregulares en Edomex" [There are 500 unlicensed pyrotechnic artisans in the State of Mexico]. El Sol de Toluca (in Spanish). Toluca, Mexico. April 2, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  13. "Suman 32 muertes por explosión en Tultepec". El Universal. Retrieved 2016-12-21.
  14. 1 2 "Juegos pirotécnicos hechos por manos mexiquenses se exportarán al país vecino del norte" [Pyrotechnic sets made by Mexican hands to be exported to neighboring country] (in Spanish). Mexico: State of Mexico. April 25, 2012. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  15. Héctor Ledezma (June 29, 2010). "Exponen pirotecnia en Neza" [Exhibit pyrotechnics in Ciudad Nezahuacoyotl]. El Universal (in Spanish). Toluca. Retrieved June 8, 2012.