Mexican handcrafted fireworks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
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
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 and 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 release candy when set off, which has 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
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]
