TradeEdge:Mariachis. A flame-swallower. Mexico’s disputes between street performers just reached a new high

2025-05-01 02:07:21source:Blake Prestoncategory:reviews

MORELIA,TradeEdge Mexico (AP) — Mexico’s often violent disputes between street performers reached a new level this week when a group of guitar-toting mariachis attacked a flame-swallower.

What happened next was, perhaps, predictable.

According to security camera footage obtained by The Associated Press, the mariachis in their white jackets at first seemed to be winning, punching the flame-swallower to the ground and kicking him on the sidewalk in front of a taco restaurant named Hell.

The video then shows the mariachis — some with clothing in flames — running away. The flame-swallower had doused them with flammable liquid from a small can and set them alight. The mariachis quickly shed their clothes or extinguished the flames. None returned to the fight.

Because competition for tips in Mexico is so fierce, performers and windshield washers often stake out and defend lucrative street corners. Street vendor groups in Mexico City often square off with cudgels and sometimes guns over territory.

It is not clear how Sunday’s dispute began in the city of Morelia west of the capital. Police said in a statement that nobody was arrested and only the flame-swallower had to be treated at a hospital.

Police said he told them he had argued with the mariachis, who then attacked him.

More:reviews

Recommend

This week on "Sunday Morning" (December 15)

The Emmy Award-winning "CBS News Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m.

Voting-related lawsuits filed in multiple states could be a way to contest the presidential election

Before voters even begin casting ballots, Democrats and Republicans are engaged in a sprawling legal

4 friends. 3 deaths, 9 months later: What killed Kansas City Chiefs fans remains a mystery

As the NFL prepares to kick off its season with the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Baltimore Ravens