AP Week in Pictures: Latin America and Caribbean

Oct. 18-24, 2024

Millions of Cubans were left without electricity for days after the nation's energy grid went down when one of the island's major power plants failed.

The Amazon River naturally fluctuates during the dry and rainy seasons. But a dramatic drop has been evident since 2023. In Colombia, the river's fall has isolated some Indigenous communities, prompting nonprofits and the government to deliver water and food to places that depend on rain and river water to survive.

Hundreds of people turned out for the burial of Catholic priest Marcelo Pérez, an activist for Indigenous peoples and farm laborers who was killed in the southern Mexico State of Chiapas. The Rev. Pérez had worked to bring peace to the highlands and border regions of Chiapas, where two drug cartels are battling for control.

It is one of the most striking scenes to happen every year in Panama's northern province of Colón: Every Oct. 21, the province celebrates the festival of the Black Christ of Portobelo. Moved by faith, they crawl for several hours along the street toward the image of the saint housed in the Church of San Felipe.

This gallery highlights some of the most compelling images made or published in the past week by The Associated Press from Latin America and the Caribbean.

The selection was curated by AP photo editor Anita Baca, based in Mexico City.

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