Top Photos: Cuba’s Blackouts, Patagonia Wildfires and Mexico’s Vape Market — Jan. 30–Feb. 1, 2026

Feb 6•1 min read

FILE - A woman holds up a cell phone flashlight as she chats with a friend during a scheduled power outage as part of energy rationing in Santa Cruz del Norte, home to one of Cuba's largest thermoelectric plants, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Photographs from Jan. 30–Feb. 1, 2026, highlight three urgent regional stories: Cuba is enduring widespread power outages amid rising tensions with the United States; wildfires are devastating forests in Argentina’s Patagonia; and Mexico’s vape ban has helped fuel an illicit market under criminal control. The gallery, curated by Anita Baca in Mexico City, brings human stories and frontline images from each crisis into sharp focus.

Photographs from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1, 2026, capture three major stories across Latin America and the Caribbean: widespread power outages in Cuba amid rising tensions with the United States, destructive wildfires in Argentina’s Patagonia, and the surge of illicit vape trade in Mexico following a national ban.

Cuba: Enduring Widespread Outages

Images show Cubans adapting to prolonged power outages that are affecting households and public services. The photos convey daily routines interrupted, communities finding short-term solutions and the broader uncertainty tied to escalating diplomatic strains.

Argentina: Wildfires in Patagonia

Photographs from Patagonia document fires sweeping through pristine forests, threatening landscapes and wildlife. The gallery highlights the scale of the blazes and the efforts of local responders and communities confronting the danger.

Mexico: Vape Ban and Organized Crime

Following Mexico’s prohibition on vapes, the photo series illustrates how criminal groups have expanded their presence in the underground market. The images examine the human and economic impacts of a booming illicit trade created by the ban.

Gallery Curator: Anita Baca, Mexico City.

Photo Credits: AP Photography | Instagram

FILE - A car speeds along a road as smoke from wildfires turns the sky red near Cholila, Argentina, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

FILE - Dancers perform a dragon dance celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year in the Asian neighborhood of Liberdade, in Sao Paulo, Jan. 31, 2026, marking the beginning of the Year of the Horse. (AP Photo/Andre Penner, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

FILE - A young vendor of miniature pork sandwich takes part in the Alasita Children's Fair in La Paz, Bolivia, Feb. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

FILE - Fisherman Pancho Contreras sails at sea with young fishermen as night falls near Los Arrecifes, Mexico, Oct. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

FILE - Ximena Fernandez vapes while working remotely from home in Mexico City, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

FILE - Mexico Reds catcher Santiago Chavez is tagged out by Puerto Rico's Andrew Velazquez during a Caribbean Series baseball game in Guadalajara, Mexico, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

FILE - A soldier embraces his family during a farewell ceremony in Guatemala City, Jan. 31, 2026, before traveling to join the United Nations peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

FILE - Vendors wait for customers at a market that primarily sells clothing imported from China in Asuncion, Paraguay, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

FILE - A hummingbird feeds on nectar from a moringa flower at the Praderas de Vida nursery in the San Juan de Miraflores district in Lima, Peru, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

FILE - A woman pulls a cart with Baby Jesus figurines on Candlemas Day at the Xochimilco Catholic Church in Mexico City, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)