The State of Mexico is known for its traditional handicrafts. But there’s a region within it called Almoloya that is known for something else.

This is where you can learn how to make fireworks!  You aren’t going to find these fireworks factories in brochures, and you certainly won’t see them advertised.

Now you’re not going to find these fireworks factories in the brochures, and you won’t see them advertised, but if you ask the locals they’ll bring you here for a truly hands-on experience that can only be described as an explosive art form.

For a closer look at the fireworks industry in this region, the man to visit is firework maker Fernando Fuentes Medina and his family of master craftsmen. They’ve been creating fireworks for four generations, and they’ve even won awards for their creations.

Now these aren’t your typical Fourth of July fireworks. They are huge and explode into geometric and animal shapes. They’re also brilliant and colorful.

If you visit the Medina family, be sure to ask them to take you into their workshop. It might look like a mad scientist’s laboratory, but this is how the fireworks get made. And while you’re there, let them show you how to build your own fireworks.

Tune into The Travel Detective with Peter Greenberg each week on public television to watch more of Peter’s Hidden Gem adventures.