AP Week in Pictures: Latin America and Caribbean

Feb. 2 – 8, 2024

Deadly wildfires devastated the Chilean city of Viña del Mar, burning homes to the ground, flipping cars and leaving scores of dead and missing people. The South American nation also mourned its two-time former President Sebastián Piñera who died in a helicopter crash. He was 74.

Carnival revelers in Brazil danced in the the streets ahead of the official start of the pre-Lenten holiday. Peruvians covered themselves with black mud rich in salt and minerals believed to be therapeutic. Female inmates in Bolivia opened a pet salon coined “La Perruquería,” a play on the word "perro,” or dog, offering low-cost grooming services.

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele won re-election on Sunday. Protesters in Port-au-Prince, Haiti blocked roads for three days to demand the resignation of their prime minister, and in Buenos Aires, Argentina, people demonstrated for more food aid at soup kitchens.

Actor Timothée Chalamet posed for photos with fans in Mexico City to promote his film “Dune.” Purépecha Indigenous people in Mexico’s Michoacán state held their annual New Fire ceremony to mark the start of the new year, based on an ancient lunar calendar.

This photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images made or published by Associated Press photographers in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The selection was curated by Senior Photo Editor for Latin America and Caribbean Leslie Mazoch in Mexico City.

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