Church bells, fireworks mingle in Mexico
Vibrant atmosphere greets visitors to old city of Cholula
A lot has changed since this town was founded on a flat plain in the valley of Mexico.
But no wonder – that founding was 1,800 years ago. Cholula’s residents have learned over the years how to blend their ancient history with their modern lives to create a community that is deeply religious yet modern – and often very noisy with fireworks, church bells and the music of religious processions.
Cholula, in central Mexico, is said to be the oldest continuously occupied town in all of North America. Anthropologists and town fathers say the town was officially founded in the year 620 A.D. And they say people have been living there even longer – possibly since around the year 200 A.D.
The ancient town has lots to offer visitors. Just a dozen miles from Puebla, Mexico’s fourth-largest city, Cholula has several dozen elaborately decorated churches; a huge pyramid with a church on top and tunnels throughout; a yearly symphony of church bells; a religious fair that brings in an enormous market of arts and crafts; and, on a clear day, the sight of three volcanoes, one of which regularly belches smoke.
More: cnn.com
Blast Destroys Mexico Fireworks Market
Fire, Explosions Destroy Mexico's Top Fireworks Market Just Before Independence Day
A fire engulfed Mexico's most famous fireworks market Thursday, setting off a chain of explosions in a town northeast of the nation's capital that destroyed hundreds of open-air stands just ahead of Independence Day celebrations.
There were no reports of deaths and only three serious injuries reported by late afternoon, Mexico State Civil Defense Director Roberto Vazquez told The Associated Press.
He said hundreds were treated for cuts and bruises or shock after the explosions at the marketplace in Tultepec, a few miles from Mexico City.
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Firework factory explosion kills 5 in Mexico
An explosion at a fireworks factory in southern Mexico killed at least five people on Tuesday, an emergency services official said.
The civil protection agency said the factory in the town of Magdalena Apasco in Oaxaca state did not have a license to manufacture fireworks.
"Five people died there, all of them burned in the explosion," the official told Reuters by telephone.
Last week, three people were killed in a similar accident at another unlicensed fireworks plant in Oaxaca state.
Firework accidents are common, as Mexico produces masses of cheap pyrotechnics for Christmas and year-end festivities, as well
Huge firework blast rattles Mexican
A chain of explosions ripped through a sprawling market selling fireworks for Mexico's independence celebrations on Thursday, sending a huge column of smoke sky-high but causing only a handful of serious injuries.
Hundreds of blasts lasting for two hours reduced the market in the town of Tultepec, north-west of Mexico City, to a charred ruin. A large-scale tragedy was avoided only because stall owners ran for their lives as the explosions began.
Huddled with her children on the edge of a smoldering mass of twisted metal and smoldering wood the size of a football pitch and reeking
Fireworks explosion kills 7 and injures 4 in Mexico
Fireworks stored at a building that also illicitly sold gasoline exploded Saturday, killing seven people and injuring four, a local official said.
The building also housed video game machines, and five of the dead were children who frequented the video parlor on weekends, local authorities said.
The blast occurred in the tiny hamlet of Tlacotepec, high in the mountains of southern Guerrero state, about 75 miles north of Acapulco, Ayala Mata said.
Blood vessel problem sends Chirac to hospital
Paris -- French President Jacques Chirac has been hospitalized after suffering a blood vessel problem in
You can visit Tonantzintla and Acatepec from Cholula main square with a pesero and you might get to see the (real) lion sitting outside the black and white castle-type building en route. Or you can take a combi from Cholula to Acatepec or to Tonantzintla (marked Chilipo or Chipanco, ask which combi goes to the church you want) for US$0.55 from junction of Avenue 5 and Avenue Miguel Aleman. You can walk the 1 km to the other church, and then take a bus or combi back to Cholula or Puebla. Acatepec from CAPU in Puebla, US$0.45, 30 minutes, bus
The tourist office in Pubela is at 5 Ote 3, Avenida Juarez behind the Cathedral, next to the Post Office, T460928, closed Saturday and Sunday. Also at 5 Pte, next to Casa de la Cultura, closed weekends. Administrator of Museums, Tel: 327699.
Puebla is said to have had 365 churches dating from the early colonial period, one for each day of the year, The din from the church bells was so loud that the residents requested that it be toned down a little since they were driven to distraction on Sundays and Feast days. Although Puebla is a big city, most
Mexico warns church on drug-tainted money
A spokesman for President Vicente Fox on Tuesday warned that no one may accept illegal funds, responding to a Roman Catholic bishop's statement that the church has no obligation to investigate whether donations come from drug trafficking.
The exchange between church and state officials came the week after Pope Benedict XVI lamented that Mexican society was troubled by corruption, drug trafficking and organized crime, during a meeting with bishops from northern and central Mexico at the Vatican.
"At no time, under no condition, may anyone receive illegal money," said Fox spokesman Ruben Aguilar. "No one may
Mexico's Catholic Church raises voice in 2006 race
Mexico's Catholic Church is flexing its muscles before the 2006 presidential race, urging candidates to take a stand on issues like abortion, while a church leader calls for civil disobedience over moves to legalize euthanasia.
In a public letter on Monday, Mexico's conference of Catholic bishops said society needed clear proposals from candidates to address priorities such as crime and job creation as well as issues of top concern to the church.
"We are particularly interested that they speak honestly about issues related to respect for life and strengthening families," the council said.
The statement
Past examples of Mexico's Catholic Churc
A Mexican bishop's acknowledgment that drug traffickers often make church donations is only the most recent example of Catholic Church links to organized crime. Among others:
_ 1997: A priest at Mexico City's Basilica of Guadalupe, a shrine to Mexico's patron saint, the Virgin of Guadalupe, is criticized for speaking admiringly of charitable donations made by two known drug traffickers. His comments spark suspicions over possible drug-tainted donations to the church, which church leaders deny.
_ 2002: A former Mexican attorney general publishes book accusing churchmen of acting as intermediaries between the government and a major narcotics
Soledad Church near the Zocalo: Oaxaca City
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