Fireworks Sales Surge in Tianguis Despite Holiday Ban

Despite the operations that municipal authorities implement each year to inhibit the commercialization of fireworks during the Christmas season, an excessive sale of explosive items persists in the city’s tianguis, particularly “bombitas” and other low-caliber products, driven by high demand during these dates.

Paloma Ortega, general secretary of Tianguis Verdes, acknowledged that there is no internal regulatory mechanism that effectively prevents the installation of temporary merchants dedicated to the sale of fireworks, as the organization operates solely as a civil association and lacks legal authority to sanction, remove, or prohibit this type of sale.

She explained that, although the sale of fireworks is prohibited, it is common for external vendors to arrive in an improvised manner and set up without requesting authorization, taking advantage of the influx of buyers. Faced with this situation, the organization can only demand minimum safety measures, such as having water, soil, or fire extinguishers, with the aim of reducing risks within the tianguis.

The secretary detailed that during the December season the number of merchants increases significantly, which favors the uncontrolled commercialization of various products. While on a regular Sunday between 50 and 60 vendors participate, during these dates the figure doubles and reaches around 120 merchants.

She added that many of these vendors attend only once a year, with the intention of obtaining additional income, offering accumulated items, used products, or seasonal merchandise, including pyrotechnic games, which makes supervision difficult and reinforces the phenomenon of excessive and unregulated sales.

This scenario keeps the risk of accidents latent and highlights the need to strengthen coordination between authorities and civil organizations to curb the excessive sale of fireworks in spaces of high citizen concentration during the December holidays.