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.

A resident flees an encroaching forest fire in Vina del Mar, Chile, Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024. The deadly fires began the previous day on the mountainous eastern edge of the beach resort. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

Supporters of Salvador President Nayib Bukele celebrate his reelection hours after polls closed in San Salvador, El Salvador, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Inmates bathe a golden retriever on the opening day of the pet salon at the Obrajes women’s jail in La Paz, Bolivia, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. Inmates inaugurated “La Perruqueria,” with a play on the word “perro,” or dog, where they offer low cost grooming services. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Revelers dance in the “Cordao do Boitata” street pre-carnival party in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo

Skater Christoper Melgar watches security forces during a protest against food scarcity affecting community soup kitchens in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Purepecha Indigenous people hold the ¨New Fire¨ ceremony to mark the start of the new year, based on an ancient lunar calendar, in Ocumicho, Michoacan state, Mexico, just before midnight, late Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Covered with black mud from head to toe, Manuel Hernandez and his wife Josefina share a light moment on the shore of Las Salinas lagoon in Chilca, Peru, Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024. Las Salinas is a lagoon that is rich in salt and other minerals. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Actor Timothee Chalamet poses for a selfie while signing autographs during a fan event promoting the film, Dune: Part Two, in Mexico City, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

A woman runs past burning tires set by protesters against Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. Three days of demonstrations forced at least 1,000 schools across Haiti to temporarily close, as well as banks, government agencies and private businesses. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Cecilia Morel, the widow of former Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, center, is embraced by relatives while receiving the remains of her husband at the airport in Santiago, Chile, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024. Piñera, 74, died on Tuesday after the helicopter he was piloting crashed over a lake amid bad weather conditions. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)