To light up the festivities and liven up the celebrations, pyrotechnics come in to impress with their dazzling display of lights. One of its most typical items is the castle – a reed structure several stories high. On average, it takes three weeks of work to build a single castle.
Besides the castles, the well-known mad cows and other figures are also made, such as crowns, balloons, wheels, umbrella rockets, thunder rockets, waterfalls, ships with noise rockets, and airplanes. Materials to make them include reed, tissue paper, kraft paper, cardboard, cotton thread, and cabuya thread.
The castles may capture all eyes, but the mad cows thrill with adrenaline – a structure in the shape of a cow placed on the back of a brave one with all kinds of fireworks is just what it takes to ignite the spirits of all those attending the festivities.
To be a ‘cohetero’ (rocket maker) – as the artisans who elaborate artifacts based on gunpowder and chemical elements are known – requires a good deal of knowledge and dexterity. The artisans of pyrotechnics were originally located in the sector currently known as the San Sebastián neighborhood – especially in Sucre, Coronel Tálbot, Juan Montalvo, and Bajada de El Vado streets – and then spread to other areas.
Cohetero Patricio Baculima
A craftsman who makes mad cows, castles, rockets, balloons, and almost anything with fireworks. A man who keeps alive a craft that is disappearing and that we should admire because it is one of the most dangerous jobs that exist, for you have to be extremely cautious to handle gunpowder. The castles are the ones that sell the most, especially during the holidays in Cuenca, such as Corpus Christi and Independence Day.
We all have always been excited about fireworks and discovering how they are made will fascinate you even more. We recommend you visit these places to learn more about this fun activity.
- Nulti Parish, northwest of the city.
- San Joaquín Parish, 4 km to the west.
- Baños de Cuenca, to the southwest.
- Turi Parish, south of the city.
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