The Mexican Pamplona Experience – Tlacotalpa – Mexico

The little colonial town of Tlacotalpa in the state of Veracruz is one of the best well kept secret of Mexico. When my student/friend Juan first told me about it, I intuitively responded in a positive way to his invitation.

What intrigued me so much about the celebrations was that it sounded like a small Pamplona. In several workshops lately, I found myself photographing bulls. I thought that Juan’s invitation couldn’t be just a mere coincidence.

During the workshop, we will be spending the first seven days in Tlacotalpa photographing the myriad incredible activities celebrating the Virgin of Candelaria. Day and night children and adults carnival parades, spectacular fire works, El Charro, a Mexican-style rodeo, a beautiful horses’ parade, a non-stop three-day long traditional music festival, a beautiful religious procession where the statue of the Virgin will go around the pueblo and will be also brought up and down the river on a large boat packed with worshipers. Then toward the end of the week, we will photograph the wild running of several loose bulls all around town. What makes the celebration so fascinating is that before the feast begins, each bull is made to separately swim across the river. You can imagine how happy the bulls are by the time they reach the other shore after having risked of drowning several times.

It has been one of the most adrenaline-charged experiences of my live. At one point, I truly felt one of the bulls breathing behind my back. I almost jumped into the river with cameras and all. I turned around and luckily it was just my imagination running wild for all the excitement around me. We will be spending the last three days of the workshop in the charming city of Veracruz. We will be editing all the rolls shot in Tlacotalpa and enjoying the Havana –like atmosphere of this very special place known for its Malecon and the outgoing attitude of its inhabitants.

Our first meeting point will be at the arrival area at the Veracruz airport the morning that the workshop begins. From there we will take an air-conditioned bus to Tlacotalpa just a few hours away.

It’s a spectacle not to be missed so start circling the dates and make early plans to come. Due to the popularity of the feast accommodations will be limited and booking needs to be made well in advance.

Refund Policy
I rely on your attendance to organize many of the workshops’ logistics, so if for any reason you decide to no longer attend the workshop, please notify me at least 60 days before the start of the workshop. At that time I will refund your full deposit. If you cancel between 30 and 60 days before the start of the workshop I will retain $200 as a cancellation fee. If notification is made less than 30 days before the start of the workshop no monies will be refunded to you.

Please note that in case of exceptional and unforeseeable circumstances such as hurricanes, earthquakes, major floods, tsunami, a war or governments' change of policies in the countries I teach courses, BazanPhotos will only offer as a refund a new workshop in any of the other venues during that same calendar year. No other forms of refunds will be available.

For further information on the workshops and the cost of the 10-day workshop please write to workshops@bazanphotos.com or ernesto_bazan@hotmail.com