AP Week in Pictures: Latin America and Caribbean

Feb. 9 – 15, 2024

Carnival officially kicked off in Rio de Janeiro as drummers, stilt walkers, trumpet players and costumed dogs reveled in the free morning street parties known as blocos. Performers danced and cheered their way through the iconic Sambadrome in the evening parades showcasing a vibrant exhibition of handcrafted floats and costumes.

María Antonia de Paz y Figueroa, more commonly known by her Quechua name of “Mama Antula,” who was born in 1730 into a wealthy family in Santiago del Estero, a province north of Buenos Aires, became Argentina’s first female saint.

Indigenous women marched against Ecuador’s insecurity, and asked for the respect of Indigenous justice in Latacunga.

After winning her first Grammy for best urban music album and being named Woman of the Year by Billboard, Colombian singer Karol G was greeted by a full house of fans to watch her perform in her “Mañana Será Bonito” tour in Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium.

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 Photo Editor Anita Baca in Mexico City.

Animal rights activists smeared with fake blood and donning banderillas to depict bulls stabbed in bullfights, protest against bullfighting, in Mexico City, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Lifeguards wade into the ocean with torches to commemorate Lifeguard Day, to honor their commitment to safety and aquatic rescue, in Mar Azul, Argentina, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A reveler wearing a costume made from recycled aluminum cans, parades in the ‘bloco da latinha’ Carnival street party, in Madre de Deus, Brazil, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024. Each costume — called a “pierro” — is made from approximately 1,600 cans gathered over the course of the previous months, then thoroughly washed to dispose of lingering odors. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Revelers take part in the “juegos de agua” or water games in which public spaces are turned into gleeful battlegrounds as part of a carnival tradition, in the Pinto Salinas neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Indigenous women march in a light rain against the country’s insecurity, and are asking for the respect of Indigenous justice, in Latacunga, Ecuador, Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

A dog dons an alligator costume during the “Blocão” parade in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. The Blocão — a play on words that joins “bloco,” which refers to Carnival street parties and “cão,” or dog in Portuguese — gathered over 200 people in Rio’s beachside Barra de Tijuca neighborhood. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

A Karol G fan dances in the parking lot as she arrives to attend the “Mañana Sera Bonito” tour at the Azteca Stadium, in Mexico City, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. After winning her first Grammy for best urban music album and being named Woman of the Year by Billboard, Karol G was greeted by a full house at the Azteca Stadium. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

A duo transports a pair of angel wings on a motorcycle during carnival celebrations in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. (A P Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

A person kneels in prayer during an Ash Wednesday service at the San Francisco Catholic church in Santiago, Chile, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. Ash Wednesday marks the start of the Lenten season. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

Rita Canteros walks out of a parish church carrying a painting of María Antonia de Paz y Figueroa, more commonly known by her Quechua name of “Mama Antula,” on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024. Mama Antula, a Catholic laywoman, became Argentina first female saint on Feb. 11. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)